Momentum
by rachhudson
Summary: Valentine's Day is fast approaching. Plans are made, scores are settled, but at the end of the week, who will get their happy ending? Pairings inside.
1. love won't exist

**This will be a multi-chapter story, and it will really kind of have four or five interlacing storylines, but right now it's listed under Finn & Rachel because, as of now, they have the most prominent storyline.  
*****I have read some speculation relating to the Valentine's Day episode, but I am not incorporating them into this fic, so this is a spoiler free zone. (:**

**Summary**: Valentine's Day is fast approaching. Plans are made, scores are settled, but at the end of the week, who will get their happy ending?  
**Pairings: **Finn/Rachel, Quinn/Puck, Quinn/Sam, Artie/Brittany, Santana/Sam, Santana/Puck, Tina/Mike, (slight) Tina/Artie, Kurt/Blaine

* * *

_"You are the dark ocean bottom,_  
_And I am the fast thinking anchor._  
_Should I fall for you?_  
_Should I fall for you?_  
_You are the scar on my tissue,_  
_That I show all of my new friends._  
_Should I show you me?_  
_Should I show you me?_

_All we need is a little but of momentum, _  
_To break down these walls that we built around ourselves._  
_All we need is a little bit of inertia,_  
_To break down and tell,_  
_Break down and tell,_  
_That you are."  
_(x)  
"Momentum;" The Hush Sound.

* * *

**Momentum **

_chapter one: love won't exist _

_Monday, February 7, 2011_

Finn Hudson is miserable. He misses Rachel. The basketball team is doing _terribly. _Santana keeps dropping hints that she would be happy to service his needs _any _time. And, to top it all off, Valentine's Day is one week from today. He kind of feels like the universe is laughing in his face.

Rachel is across the hallway, organizing her books in her locker. He knows that she's heading off to first period pre-calculus, because he used to walk her there every day. He remembers the words she used to have tacked up in her locker: Finchel 4ever. He found it cute. He wonders if she threw them away or if she still has them somewhere. (He knows it's selfish, but he hopes she kept them.)

She glances over at him and gives him a sad little half-smile. He gives her a half-smile back.

His heart flops over in his chest, and he knows, deep down, he's already forgiven her. He forgave her a long time ago, really.

He knows he's ready to get back together with her. Next week is Valentine's Day, and he vows that this Valentine's Day, he won't spend it alone.

* * *

"I really like pushing you around," Brittany tells Artie as she wheels him through the hallways. "It makes me feel like I'm pushing a baby in a stroller. Except… I don't usually want to kiss a baby."

Artie smiles. "That's… sweet, Brit. But, uh, I have chemistry first period, which is in the opposite direction."

"Oh."

"But if you wanna take the long way, that's fine," he says hastily.

"Okay, good," she replies. "Because I don't know how to turn around."

Artie chuckles. "Do you know what a week from today is, Brit?"

She furrows her brow. "Uh, it's Monday again, isn't it? Because the days of the week, like, repeat themselves?"

"Yeah," he says, "that's true, but next Monday is a special Monday. It's Valentine's Day."

"Valentine's Day? … Oh, yeah, that's the day Santana comes and picks me up and we drive to the store and get ice cream and then watch sad movies all day at her house. She always says we can watch Spirit, because it's my favorite. I love horses."

"That… is incredibly depressing," Artie says. "How about this year, I take you out? Valentine's Day is supposed to be about being with the one you… love. And well, we're dating, and… I want it to be really special for you, like you made Christmas special for me."

Brittany grins, stopping the wheelchair. She walks around his chair, kneeling down in front of him. "That's so sweet," she tells him as she leans forward to kiss him.

As they break apart, he whispers, "I'm gonna make sure you have the best Valentine's Day ever."

Her eyes widen. "How?"

He smiles softly at her. "It's a surprise. But you're gonna _love _it."

"I love surprises!" she shrieks.

He laughs. "I know."

A bell sounds overheard. "Crap," Artie says. "That's the two minute warning bell. Looks like I'm gonna be late to chemistry."

"Oh no," Brittany moans. "I'm _so_ sorry, Artie."

He waves off her apology. "It's okay. Just head on over to English, alright? I'll see you in glee."

She blows him a kiss before she flounces away, and Artie feels his heart fill up with warmth. Is this love? He thinks he could handle that, if it is.

* * *

Santana glares at Puck. "You sound like you're breaking up with me, but that's impossible, because we aren't even together, egghead. So mind telling me why you dragged me into this janitor's closet if it wasn't to hook up? And why you just spouted off some _bullshit _about needing to 'see other people'?"

Puck rolls his eyes, and from what Santana can see in the dark janitor's closet, he looks annoyed. "Look, Santana, I'm trying to be nice about this. What I'm trying to say is that I… I don't wanna do… what we do… anymore."

She laughs. "You mean sex. Just say it, Puckerman. We use each other for _sex_."

He sighs. "Yeah, exactly, we _use _each other. And I want something more than that. But the funny thing is, around this school, girls don't usually want to date you if they know that you have this fuck buddy relationship with someone else." She narrows her eyes at his sarcastic tone. "So I'm stopping this sick, twisted thing that comes kind of close to a relationship."

She rolls her eyes. "Puckerman, you've 'stopped' this before. And you've always come back. So excuse me if I have trouble believing your words."

He opens the door of the janitor's closet, leaving her momentarily blinded. "Well, this time, I mean it, Santana. So don't text me later expecting a booty call, alright?"

By the time she regains her vision, he's gone. She makes her way in as sophisticated manner one who is emerging from a janitor's closet can have, glaring at the people staring.

What gives Puck the right to call off what they have? _She _should be the one ending things with _him_, after all the shit he's put her through, including (but not limited to) Babygate and him dating _Mercedes _of all people to get back on top.

She stalks off toward the choir room, and only one coherent thought fills her mind: _Revenge_. Valentine's Day is only one week away, and she's going to make Noah Puckerman wish that he had never scorned Santana Lopez.

* * *

Rachel Berry had always assumed that this Valentine's Day would be the best one ever, because she had Finn and everything was perfect. Her life was _finally _on track.

She couldn't have been more wrong.

Valentine's Day is one week from today, and Rachel is miserable. Finn still barely makes eye contact with her, most of the solos that should probably be hers are either going to Quinn, Tina, or Mercedes, and her only real friend is Kurt, who is now attending Dalton Academy.

Frankly, her life _sucks_.

And the worst part is, she doesn't even _care _that much anymore. She just floats along in a depressed haze, going from class to class, singing backing vocals in glee, posting her daily videos on MySpace. She can't muster up the _effort_ to care. She doesn't fight for her solos. And she doesn't fight for Finn.

She wonders if he'll ever forgive her. She's giving him space, like he wanted, but she still misses him so _much_.

Somehow, she's managed to find her way into the choir room for third period glee, and she flops down into one of the chairs in the front row.

"Girl, you need to get over this."

She whips around; she hadn't even noticed Mercedes already seated in the second row. "Get over what?" she asks.

Mercedes rolls her eyes. "Girl, _please_. You have been mopin' around ever since you and Finn broke up, and I'll admit, I like having the chance to get some solos, but it's not _nearly _as much fun if you don't care."

"I _love _him, Mercedes," she says exasperatedly. "I can't just _get over _him. I made a mistake, and now I have to live with the consequences."

Mercedes sighs. "And he didn't make mistakes? Did he even apologize for the whole Santana debacle? Tell you it wasn't worth it? Let you know that he regretted it because it wasn't you?"

Rachel falters. "Well… no, he didn't," she says quietly.

"Look," Mercedes says, reaching over to pat Rachel's shoulder delicately. "I'm not saying that what you did was right, but he didn't stand up for you, either. You just need some time away. And maybe instead of moping, you should actually _appreciate _this time, and take it for yourself. Compete for a solo today. Do something because it makes _you _feel good. You deserve it, Rach. You are a strong, independent woman. You don't need a man. Right? I mean, look at me. I am single and lovin' it."

Rachel nods. "Right! Thank you, Mercedes. I think I'll take your advice." She pauses. "Maybe I don't need a man in my life right now, but… I could do with some friends. Do you… do you think _we _could be friends?"

Mercedes smiles. "Maybe. I think this might be a good start."

Rachel beams at her as others start to file into the choir room: Sam and Quinn, holding hands; Tina and Mike, deep in conversation; Brittany, wheeling Artie; Lauren, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose; Puck, who plops down on the seat next to her; Santana, looking as sullen as ever; and Finn, who smiles weakly at her as he sits down next to Puck. She bites the inside of her lip to keep from smiling back at him. She has to stay strong. She needs to rediscover her Rachel Berry drive, needs to have some time to be herself for a while, like Mercedes said.

Finally, Mr. Schuester walks into the room, and almost immediately, Rachel puts her hand into the air. Honestly, Mr. Schue looks a little taken aback.

"Yes, Rachel?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I have found a song that compliments my voice perfectly, and I would be delighted if you would let me perform it in class later this week."

Mr. Schue still looks slightly surprised, with his eyebrows almost disappearing into his curly hair. "Sure, Rachel. That would be fine." He then goes on some tangent about how they'll really have to up their game to beat the Warblers, and Mercedes leans forward to whisper, "Nicely done, Rachel. Take back your power."

Rachel beams. She's back in the game, and no boy (no matter how cute they look in their striped sweater today, no matter how much she adores their brown eyes looking over at her in confusion) is going to keep her from being herself any longer.

* * *

Quinn Fabray thought that regaining the position of head cheerleader would fill all the empty holes in her life, would make her forget about things like daughters and _"I'm done with you!" _and Mohawks and pent-up anger. She was wrong.

She goes through the motions of _being _a Cheerio, perfecting her moves, walking down the hallway like she owns it, snagging a football stud for a boyfriend, but she still feels like something is missing. She's not satisfied with her life like she should be. And she hates it.

She should be happy. This is what she wanted, right?

She's beginning to doubt that. Maybe she won't really know _what _she wants until she finds it. She's beginning to suspect that this, being the queen bee, _isn't_ it. She's scared of admitting that, though.

She's supposed to be supervising the lifts the Cheerios are practicing right now, but she just can't focus. (It's probably because she just doesn't care, which makes her an awful head cheerleader.) She looks at these girls, and she doesn't see them as people she'd consider her sisters or even people that mean _anything _to her. She only sees that when she looks at the glee club, where no one is judged if they get a bacon cheeseburger for lunch or if they choose not to wear their uniform that day because they're on their period and feel especially fat.

She wishes the Cheerios felt like a place where she belongs, like it used to. Now, she feels like she's on the outside looking in.

* * *

It's right before seventh period when Finn finally sees Rachel alone at her locker. He would've talked to her after glee, but she had stayed behind to talk to Mercedes (which was a little weird, he isn't going to lie). He walks across the hallway and stands next to her, leaning against the locker next to hers.

"Hey," he says.

She looks up at him. "Oh, hello, Finn." She goes back to swapping out books.

He's a little thrown off. Her reaction to him speaking to her for the first time in forever is not at all what he was expecting. He clears his throat, then just dives in. "I forgive you, Rachel."

She raises her eyebrows. "Oh?"

He nods. "Yeah, for the… Puck thing. You were hurting, I was hurting, and things just… got out of control. But I forgive you now, and I wanna be with you again." He smiles at her, but she doesn't smile back.

"How… _big _of you," she says. "But I don't think I can get back together with you, Finn."

His smile fades from his face. "Wh-What?"

She sighs. "Look, Finn, it's not that I don't care about you. I do. I just… I need some time for _me_. I've just been pining for you this whole time, and I haven't taken the time to just find myself and to be happy with who _I_ am. I'm sorry, but I can't be with you right now."

She makes to walk around him, but he gently grabs her arm. "Hey," he says. "I don't understand. I thought… I thought you wanted this, too."

She looks up at him, tears in her eyes. "I did. But I can't any more, Finn. I mean, maybe you should take this time and reflect as well."

His brain hurts. He literally has no idea what's happening right now. It probably makes him a jerk, but he kind of expected her to just jump right back into his arms. "Reflect over what, Rach? I love you and you love me. Isn't that enough?"

She shakes free of his grip. "No, Finn, it's not," she says quietly, then begins to walk away. "Not until you can admit that you screwed up, too. It's _not _all my fault. And I _finally _see that now."

She walks away, and he watches her go. His heart is now all the way in his stomach, and for a second, he thinks he might actually throw up.

He settles for punching the locker next to him instead.

* * *

_"Everything we had is no longer, longer there  
Yeah, you saw for yourself the way it played out.  
For you I am blinded.  
For you I am blinded.  
For you._

_I am no gentleman.  
I can be a prick,  
And I do regret more than I admit.  
You have been followed, back to the same place I  
Met with you drink for drink.  
Take the pain out of love and then love won't exist."  
_(x)  
"Everything We Had;" The Academy Is...

* * *

**Well, I hope that wasn't too terrible XD  
I've written most of the characters before, but I'm still a little shaky when it comes to Brittany and I've never written Artie or Mercedes before, so I hope they were okay. **

**My plan is to update this pretty frequently, and to (hopefully) get it done before Valentine's Day. My plan for this story is for it to have eight chapters, one for each day up until (and on) Valentine's Day.**

**The main storylines I plan to follow are Finn and Rachel (separately, for now ;]), Brittany and Artie (and the surprise! :O), Quinn and her upcoming... stuff (I don't want to give anything away ;D), and mainly Santana. Puck will also play a big role, as well as Sam, and Tina, Mike, Mercedes, Kurt, and even Blaine will have some supporting roles. So I hope you stick around!**

**Please feel free to review or alert (:**


	2. my wasted youth

**Thank you so much for your reviews! I love reading them, I really do.  
And I would like to address marchofanerd's review, seeing as I can never PM you. You always leave me wonderful reviews and I want to say thanks! (: Also, to address the points you brought up in your review, this will (eventually) head in the P/Q direction, and Artie and Brittany (and their relationship) will definitely have a key role in the story, starting next chapter mostly. Again, thank you SO much. (:**

**Summary**: Valentine's Day is fast approaching. Plans are made, scores are settled, but at the end of the week, who will get their happy ending?  
**Pairings: **Finn/Rachel, Quinn/Puck, Quinn/Sam, Artie/Brittany, Santana/Sam, Santana/Puck, Tina/Mike, (slight) Tina/Artie, Kurt/Blaine

* * *

"_I will never let you fall.  
I'll stand up with you forever.  
I'll be there for you through it all,  
Even if saving you sends me to heaven."  
_(x)  
"Your Guardian Angel;" The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.

* * *

**Momentum**

_chapter two: my wasted youth_

_Tuesday, February 8, 2011_

Rachel can't help herself. She finished her routine on the elliptical twenty minutes ago, and she should be showering and getting ready for school, but before she does that she just has to talk to _someone_. So before she even knows what's she's doing, she has the phone in her hand and it's ringing.

"_Hello?"_

"Mercedes! I'm so glad you answered. I just really needed to talk to someone, and you were the first person I thought of!"

"_Lucky me,"_ she hears Mercedes mumble. _"Now what was so important that you had to call me at… 6:45 in the morning? Damn, girl! You couldn't wait until school?"_

Rachel bites her lip. "No, not really."

Mercedes sighs. _"Well, I'm already up, so shoot."_

"I talked to Finn yesterday. He said he wanted to get back together with me."

"_And you said?_"

"I told him I needed some time for me, and that I couldn't do it. And I told him that maybe I wasn't the only who had done something wrong."

"_Good for you!"_

"Then how come I feel so _awful_, Mercedes? The look on his face was… was… It was heartbreaking! It was so _hard_, saying those things to him, when I really just wanted to hug him."

Mercedes sighs. _"I didn't say it would be easy, Rachel, but you did the right thing. Maybe he'll realize what a fool he's been, and maybe he'll prove that he's worthy of you. But until then, you've just gotta be strong. So you know what you're gonna do?"_

"No. What?"

"_You're gonna put on one of your adorable animal sweaters, hold your head high, and come to school today, and show that boy exactly what he's missing. Think you can do that?"_

Rachel smiles. "I think so."

"_Good. I'm gonna get a few more minutes of beauty sleep now if you don't mind."_

"Sorry for waking you," Rachel says. "Oh! Mercedes?"

She thinks Mercedes hung up for a second, but then she hears a sigh. _"What?"_

"Thanks for listening. And for being a friend."

"_No problem, Rach. See you at school."_

"Bye." She ends the call and studies her face in the mirror. She tries to muster up the sense of empowerment that she's supposed to feel, but all she manages is a weak smile.

She reminds herself that this time last week, she couldn't even do that. She's improving, slowly but surely. Maybe, if she allows herself the time, she'll heal completely.

She realizes that she doesn't even know if she _wants _to heal completely, if it means moving on from Finn.

"Well, I'll just have to work on that," she mutters as she heads into the bathroom to start her shower.

* * *

Quinn hates morning practices. She has to get up at six in the morning to come to the school and act perky and happy and do backflips and handsprings and act like she's enjoying every second of it and really? She _hates _it.

She can't even put a smile on her face this morning. She is _that _disgruntled.

"What's the matter, Fabray?" Santana asks. "No fake shit-eating grins this morning?"

Quinn rolls her eyes. "Shut it, Lopez. I'm obviously not in the mood."

Santana makes a 'tutting' noise. "Now," she says in a falsely sweet voice, hands on her hips, "is that the proper way for a head cheerleader to behave? Emphasis on the _cheer_?"

"I told you to _shut up_," Quinn growls.

"What, trouble in paradise with your little Ken doll?"

"SHUT _UP!_"

By this time, the whole squad has turned to watch the confrontation. Ms. Sylvester heads over, megaphone still in hand.

"Is there a problem here, ladies?" she asks, glancing between Santana and Quinn, who are glaring daggers at each other.

"No problem, Coach," Santana says, crossing her arms. "Right, _captain_?"

Quinn breathes in through her nose. "Actually," she says, "there _is _a problem. The problem is that I am _sick_ and _tired_ of this stupid _team_. Especially _you_, Santana. You are constantly undermining me and verbally _attacking _me, and I _hate _it. Yes, I ratted you out when you got your boob job. _Yes_, I had a baby last year. But we're supposed to be _teammates_! We're supposed to have each other's backs, to be a second family."

She turns to glare at the rest of the team. "I don't feel like any of you are my family. None of you would stand up for me. Like Santana, most of you are just waiting to watch me fail. Well, I'm not going to let that happen. Ms. Sylvester?"

Ms. Sylvester eyes her warily. "Q," she acknowledges.

"I quit."

"_Excuse _me? You can't quit! You either die or get kicked off! No one _quits _the Cheerios!"

Quinn rolls her eyes. "Watch me."

"Q! If you walk out of here, you can't come back! No matter how much you _grovel!"_

Quinn just keeps walking. "Good!" she calls back. She can't wait to get out of this dumb uniform.

* * *

"Hey, Puck, can I talk to you for a minute?" Puck looks mildly surprised, but he hangs back in the hallway.

"What's up, Hudson?"

"I, uh… I need your advice."

Puck raises his eyebrows. "Oh?"

"Yeah, I mean, you seem pretty good with the ladies, and I just… I need a way to get Rachel back."

Puck laughs. "That shouldn't be hard, Hudson. Just say, 'hey, we should get back together,' and you know what? She'll probably say '_yes_.'"

Finn shakes his head. "I already _tried _that. And she… _rejected _me."

"Oh," Puck says quietly. "That sucks, man."

"Yeah, I know, I told her I forgave her for making out with _you –_"

"Sorry for that by the way."

"And she said she appreciated it, but until I was able to own up for some of the mistakes _I _made, she couldn't be with me. And she was kind of crying, too. And she said something about like rediscovering herself or something, I don't know."

Puck sighs. "Well, what do you want me to do about it? I mean, just because I'm Jewish doesn't mean I have magical powers."

Finn rolls his eyes. "I have a plan to get her back, but I need your help."

Puck grins. "Of course, man. _Please _tell me it involves some rule breaking. My probation _just _lifted and I am _dying _to kick someone's ass."

"If I wanted anyone to get their ass kicked, it would be _you_," Finn points out, his eyes narrowed.

"Oh." Puck swallows. "Right. So, uh, what is this plan of yours?"

Finn smiles. "Walk with me, Puckerman."

* * *

"You did _what?_"

"Sam, please, just _listen _to me —"

"Quinn, how _could _you?"

"What do you mean, how could _I_?"

Quinn shakes with anger. She and Sam are standing in the hallway, but she feels as if they might as well be miles apart, the way they're shouting. She just told him that she quit the Cheerios this morning, and he's not taking it well.

"I just thought," he says, trying to keep his voice calm, "that you wanted us to work out."

"I did, Sam. I _do_." How does he not understand this? "How is the fact that I quit the Cheerios because I _wasn't _happy reflecting our entire relationship?"

He rolls his eyes. "How is it _not_? You said we would get to be prom king and queen. You just threw away _everything _we've worked for, Quinn! You said you didn't just want to be the _girl_ who got _pregnant_!"

She feels the anger boiling, about to ooze out of her skin. She takes a step closer to him, and she thinks he can see the fire in her eyes. "Don't talk about things you _don't _understand. You know _nothing_ about my pregnancy, and you know _nothing_ about my daughter." He shrinks away a little. She takes a deep breath, then continues. "So either my baby defines me, or that stupid uniform defines me?" she asks quietly.

He doesn't answer.

"Maybe I'm tired of being superficial and fake, and for the first time in my life, I want something _real_. Something that I couldn't get with the Cheerios." A tear slides down her cheek, and she doesn't know if it's from anger or sadness. "I thought you would understand that. I guess I was wrong."

She walks away and she hears him call, "_Quinn!_" but she doesn't turn to look at him. She just keeps walking.

* * *

Santana sees the whole thing, and she sees Sam now looking depressed, leaning against his locker as Quinn walks away.

She remembers she needs to get revenge on Puck. She gets an idea.

A wonderful, brilliant, _awful _idea.

She sashays across the hallway and comes to a stop next to Sam's locker. "Trouble in paradise, Evans?" Whoa. Hadn't she said almost the very same thing to Quinn this morning? Kind of ironic.

Sam looks at her warily. "What's it to you, Santana?"

She shrugs. "Maybe nothing. Maybe something. Up to you to decide."

Sam groans and turns to his locker, spinning the numbers to match his combination. "I don't even know what that _means_."

She smiles to herself. "It means that I'm available, and you might soon be available, and… if you want… we can go out sometime."

He raises his eyebrows. "You _do _know I'm with Quinn, right?"

"Oh, _please,_" she scoffs. "After that little display? You've got a _week _left, tops."

Sam looks uneasy.

"Just… think about my offer, okay?" Santana starts to back away, saying, "If you're still interested, come see me after Blondie gives you the boot. But if I were you?" She winks at him. "I'd dump her first."

She leaves, and she feels this rush of confidence and power and it feels so _good_. Sam might just be the perfect pawn in her plan to make Puck jealous. For once, things are actually going her way.

* * *

"Now, remember," Finn mutters to Puck as they walk in the door, "_you _have to act like it's _all _your idea."

Puck rolls his eyes. "I know, I know," he whispers back as they sit in the front row. "But I don't see why _you _can't do it. Wouldn't Rachel see it as romantic or some shit like that?"

Finn sighs. "She'll probably just assume I'm doing it to impress her or something."

"But you _are_," Puck points out.

"Which is why _you _are proposing it," Finn says.

"Fine," Puck mutters as the rest of the glee kids shuffle in. "But you owe me, Hudson."

Finally everyone is seated, and Mr. Schue takes the marker and uncaps it, writing FUNDRAISER on the dry erase board.

"Okay, guys," he says, turning to the group. "We need to raise some money if we plan on competing at our best at Regionals. So does anyone have any ideas? We could always do another bake sale this year."

There is a collective groan from the group.

"Mr. Schue, I've got something."

Rachel snaps her head over to Puck in surprise. Finn tries to control the erratic behavior of his heartbeat. _No one (Rachel) will ever trace it back to me, _he reminds himself.

"Well, alright, Puck. What's your idea?"

"What if we sell candy grams? You know, take a sucker in the shape of a heart or something, put it in a card with a personalized message? People could pay to have them delivered, and we could deliver them first period, those of us who have study hall. We could sell them at lunch, like we sold those brownies last year. Chicks eat that cheesy stuff up, and I bet we could sell 'em for a buck each."

Mr. Schue grins. "That's a _great _idea, Puck! And it goes along with the upcoming holiday as well."

Puck shrugs. "Well, what can I say? I'm just kind of a genius when it comes to this kind of stuff."

Finn thinks he's basking in the glory of _his _plan a little too much.

"Well, let's put it to a vote," Mr. Schue says. "All those in favor?"

Everyone raises their hand except for Santana, who is filing her nails.

"Santana?" Mr. Schue asks. "Any reason why you oppose?"

"Stupid holiday, stupid idea," she says in a monotone voice. "I can't bring myself to care."

Mr. Schue rolls his eyes. "Alright, well, that was majority, so looks like the candy gram sale is _on_!"

The group claps, and Mr. Schue addresses Finn. "Think you can pick up some heart-shaped suckers after school? I'll reimburse you."

"Yeah, totally," Finn says, although he has _no _idea what 'reimburse' means. He hopes it isn't anything bad. (Normally, he would ask Rachel, but she seems to be kind of avoiding him right now, and he doesn't want to upset her and throw off his whole plan).

"Great!" Mr. Schue beams. "Now let's get started on that setlist for Regionals!"

Rachel starts spouting off ideas, and Finn smiles. It's nice to see her acting like herself, even if she's not speaking to him.

Hopefully he'll be able to change her mind.

* * *

"_When it all comes down to a sunrise on the east side,  
Will you be there to carry me home?  
The remains of my wasted youth,  
This wasted time on you has left me shaking and waiting for something more."  
_(x)  
"Coffee Shop Soundtrack;" All Time Low

* * *

**So this was kind of a filler chapter, just setting things up for next time. ;D Oh, and I had to introduce Finn/Puck's brilliant idea, haha.**

**It really means a lot to me when you review/favorite/alert! (:**


	3. and when you smile

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**Thanks again for all the lovely reviews! :D  
I took off the Finn/Rachel pairing tag on this because it's going to be focusing on some other couples as well, more centrally now, so I didn't want to limit the story, haha. So if you were wondering where that went... That's why. XD**

************

**Summary**: Valentine's Day is fast approaching. Plans are made, scores are settled, but at the end of the week, who will get their happy ending?  
**Pairings**: Finn/Rachel, Quinn/Puck, Quinn/Sam, Artie/Brittany, Santana/Sam, Santana/Puck, Tina/Mike, (slight) Tina/Artie, Kurt/Blaine

* * *

"_Always turning back to you, til you never let me down.  
Loving your illusions, staring at a crooked crown.  
You always let me down.  
You always let me down.  
You always let me down. _

_You are my love, love, my love,_  
_You are my love._  
_You are my love._  
_Honey, honey, honey,_  
_You're the death of me._  
_Honey, honey, honey,_  
_Will you ever see?"  
_(x)  
"Honey;" The Hush Sound

* * *

_chapter three: and when you smile_

_Wednesday, February 9, 2011_

Tina sighs, sitting down in her first period class: Psychology, with Mr. Garret. Mr. Garret was a cool guy, but he was a little too energetic for Tina's shy personality, especially at 8:30 in the morning. The bell rings and they go through the customary saying of the pledge and the moment of silence.

Mr. Garret begins what he seems to honestly believe is an exciting lecture on classical conditioning, telling them animatedly about some guy named Pavlov and his dogs. Tina has just resigned herself to trying to avoid Mr. Garret's crazy stare for the next forty-five minutes when there is a knock at the door.

"Mr. Garret?" Puck asks, poking his head in. Tina smiles as she sees Mercedes waving at her. "We have some candy grams to deliver, if that's okay."

Mr. Garret smiles. "Sure, Puckerman. Got any for me?"

Puck shakes his head. "'Fraid not, Mr. G."

Mr. Garret pretends to let out an exasperated sigh. "Well, I guess you can hand them out anyway."

Puck grins. "Thanks, Mr. G." He nods to Mercedes, who enters the room, her arms filled with cards and suckers. She gives some of them to Puck, and he and Mercedes head down the aisles, distributing them.

"Oh my _God_, did I really get _seven_?" Mandy Hanover squeals. She bats her eyelashes at Puck. "Isn't that so _funny_?"

Tina sees Puck roll his eyes. "Hilarious," he mutters, moving on to Tina. He winks at her. "These are for you, Tee," he says, dropping eight suckers with cards onto her desk.

She feels her eyes widen. "No way," she whispers, opening the first one.

_Hey, Tee! Love you. Mercedes_

She smiles and opens the others. She gets one from Mike (_I love you, Tina, and you complete me_) which makes her heart skip a beat, and she also receives candy grams from her chemistry lab partner, Kim (_you and I have some great chemistry!_), Rachel (_I hope you enjoy the candy! Your co-captain, Rachel_), Puck (_You used to scare me, but you're kinda cool, in a vampire sort of way_), Quinn (_you guys are my family, and I love each and every one of you_), Artie (_have a great day._), and, surprisingly, Brittany (_happy valintyne's day! we shood hang sumtime_).

Mandy Hanover whips around to stare at the pile on Tina's desk. "_You _got all those?"

Tina grins. "Yep. All mine."

Mandy Hanover glares, then turns back around so quickly Tina figures she's probably gotten whiplash.

Tina's so glad she joined glee, because she's never felt like she belonged more than right now.

* * *

Rachel sits down in her first period pre-calculus class feeling quite accomplished. She ordered candy grams for all the members of the glee club yesterday at lunch (even Finn, although she hopes he doesn't get any ideas), and she hopes they are all excited to receive them.

Even studious, bubbly Rachel has trouble staying awake during Mr. Frederick's explanations of sines and cosines and finds the knock on the door to be refreshing. Puck and Mercedes come in, candy grams practically overflowing from their arms.

"Mr. Frederick, do you mind if we pass these out?"

Mr. Frederick sighs and heads over to his desk. "I guess that's fine."

"Cool."

Puck heads over to Rachel first and picks out two candy grams, laying them down neatly on her desk.

Rachel tries not to feel disappointed. After all, it will be tomorrow when she will get more in thanks for the ones she sent out today. She opens the first one daintily. (She never has been fond of ripping things open; she likes to open them with order and care.)

_Rach, Stay strong. I believe in you. – Mercedes_

She catches Mercedes' eye across the room and grins at her. Mercedes winks.

Rachel moves onto the second candy gram.

_Rachel, You are amazing. Don't ever change. Sincerely, an admirer._

Rachel feels a blush creeping into her cheeks. She has an admirer? She turns to look at Puck, hoping that he can explain this obvious mistake to her, but she finds that he and Mercedes are already gone, and Mr. Frederick has stood up to continue lecturing the class.

She grins for the rest of the period, and she blocks out the sound of Mr. Frederick's droning voice. She can't stop thinking about the possible identity of her admirer. The message on the card has been typed, so she can't analyze the handwriting.

They'd called her _amazing_. She revels in that for a minute, then begins to feel guilty. Isn't this kind of like _betraying _Finn?

The bell (finally) rings and she exits the classroom, reminding herself that she and Finn are over now. This could be her chance to truly move on.

She opens her locker and gasps: Four roses are taped to the inside of her door. She removes them carefully, noticing that a note is attached to one of them. She reads the message, typed in the same font that was on her candy gram.

_When you smile, you light up the room. I hope these make you smile. –an admirer_

She clutches the roses to her, breathing in their scent. It's one of her favorite smells. She wonders if her admirer knows that.

She looks around, hoping that he is there, (well, she sure _hopes _it's a he) smiling. She doesn't see anything out of the ordinary, just people getting their books or walking to class.

She tries not to feel too disappointed. Maybe it's better if they stay anonymous. She doesn't want to be let down.

A horrible thought hits her. _What if it's Jacob Ben Israel?_ She shudders as she remembers the time she gave him her underwear, and she knows it _can't_ be him, because he's not romantic. He's just horny. He wouldn't have the time or patience for something as lovely as this.

No, her admirer is probably someone _fantastic_. She's looking forward to seeing what other surprises are in store.

* * *

Sam knows it's going to happen as soon as she walks into the lunchroom. She doesn't get in any of the lines to get food but makes a beeline straight for him, a look of determination on her face as well as a sense of sadness.

He finishes chewing his piece of pizza (which he'll have to work off in the weight room after school) as she approaches him. Quinn motions to the chair next to him. "Can I sit down?"

He nods.

She sits. "I… I'm not sure how to say this."

"Quinn? Please don't bullshit with me. We both know what you're about to say, so please, just _say_ it."

Pain flickers in her eyes. "Alright then. I'll just _say _it." She takes a deep breath. "I think we should break up."

He tries to remain emotionless, but he feels a little prick of heartache. "Because of the shouting match yesterday?"

She shakes her head. "For lots of things, Sam. We shouldn't've… I mean, I wasn't fair to you."

He raises his eyebrows. "How?"

She sighs. "I just… wasn't ready to do this with you. I mean, I had a _baby_ last year. And I should've taken some time and just gotten to know myself again."

"This is about Puck, isn't it?" he asks. He can't help it. "I get it; you had a kid with him. Those feelings aren't just going to go away."

"This is _not _about Puck," she insists, but he can tell she's lying.

He stands up, picking up his tray. "It's always going to be about Puck. At least admit it to yourself Quinn, if you won't admit it to me."

He walks away, dumping the half-eaten pizza into the trash on his way out of the cafeteria. He doesn't look back to see if Quinn's still there. He tells himself he doesn't care if she is or not. He just knows he has to find Santana.

* * *

Artie really just wants to bang his head on the table, and it's not because he forgot to do his English homework that's due next period. No, it's because he promised Brittany that this Valentine's Day would be the best Valentine's Day for her ever, and he has no idea how to follow up on his promise.

Yeah, sucks to be him.

"Hey," Brittany says, sitting down next to him with her tray. "Are you not hungry? Because I can share my curly fries with you, if you want. I'm not really supposed to eat them anyway."

Artie smiles. "Brit, you look perfect. You could eat a billion curly fries and still be skinny."

She beams at him. "I told Santana that I couldn't hang out with her on Valentine's Day this year because you're taking me out," she announces proudly, sticking a curly fry into her mouth.

"That's great," Artie tells her, faking a smile. Brittany is oblivious.

"She actually didn't seem too mad. She said she has some revenge to plan or something, so she'll be really busy anyway."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Artie says. "Revenge? On _who_?"

Brittany shrugs. "I don't know. But she was fixing her makeup in the bathroom, so it's probably some guy with a girlfriend. She usually does that when she wants to do it with a guy who's taken."

Artie honestly doesn't know what to say to that. "Oh."

Brittany nods. "I'm really excited about it, you know," she says. "Valentine's Day. It's going to be great, I just _know _it!"

Artie fake-smiles again. "Yeah," he says. "Absolutely."

She hugs him, then pulls back as she says, "You really are the best boyfriend ever." She looks at him so intensely, he feels he has to distract himself.

"Um, hey, can I have a curly fry?" he asks.

"Yeah!" She pushes her tray towards him, then launches into a detailed story of the time she got lost at the mall and Santana couldn't find her.

Artie isn't really listening as he stuffs some of her curly fries into his mouth. He's just worried about how he's going to pull off the "best Valentine's Day ever" without any plan whatsoever.

* * *

Santana's just stepped out of the bathroom when she runs into Sam. _Literally_.

"Oh, sorry," he says, helping her up. "I literally did not see you coming."

She rolls her eyes. "Why are you in such a hurry anyways, Lemon Head?"

"I was looking for you, actually."

She cocks an eyebrow. This is all working out even better than she had hoped. "Oh?"

"Yeah," he says. "You… you were right. Quinn dumped me. And I was wondering if maybe… I could take you up on your offer?"

Santana smirks. "Huh. Well, I suppose one date wouldn't hurt." She winks. "Tomorrow night work for you, pretty boy?"

Sam nods. "Yeah, totally. Breadstix?"

She scoffs. "Duh. It's only the best restaurant in town. … Actually, it's kind of the _only _restaurant in town."

Sam laughs.

She bats her eyelashes. "Pick me up at seven?"

He grins back at her. "I'll be there."

She walks away then, making sure to shake her lips a little more as she goes. She looks over her shoulder and gives him a slight wave of her fingers. He waves back.

Oh yeah, if there's one thing that'll make Puck jealous for sure, it'll be dating Sam Evans. She can't wait to see his face.

* * *

Quinn can't believe she's resorted to crying in the choir room. She guesses she's sealed her loser status now.

She doesn't even hear Puck come in, but suddenly he's sitting beside her. "Hey," he says quietly.

She sniffs, wiping at her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"Comforting you?" She glares at him. "Okay, so maybe not. But I thought maybe you could use someone to talk to. Or something."

She's about to tell him to _go away_, but then she remembers what Sam said to her in the cafeteria an hour ago, about how it's always been about Puck, and she needs to admit it to herself. She looks over at Puck, and her vision blurs as tears fill her eyes once again.

"_Hey_," he says, noticing her distress. "Don't – don't cry."

Tears run down her cheeks.

"What happened, Quinn?"

She wipes away the tears that are streaming down her face, trying not to blubber so much. "S-Sam and I b-broke up. And I j-just realize now that I'm such a b-bitch."

Puck takes her hands in his. "You are _not_ a bitch," he says quietly. "You're just a driven young woman who goes after what she wants, and if Sam can't see that, then it's his loss."

She smiles weakly at him. "You sound like a Hallmark card," she whispers.

"God, I can't believe he _called _you that," Puck says, ignoring her comment.

"He didn't," Quinn says quietly. "But he should have."

Puck shakes his head. "Nothing you do could make you a bitch, Q," he tells her.

She sighs. "I pretty much led him on. I wanted myself to like him, to reciprocate his feelings, so I just… gave in. I didn't love him, but I think he might've loved me, and I b-broke his heart. Which makes me a _bitch_," she finishes. "God, I _suck_. I mean, look what I did to _you_. Why are you even _talking_ to me right now? I gave away your kid and c-cut you off this summer. You should _hate_ me."

He shrugs. "But I don't. Because I know something that a lot of people don't realize."

"What's that?" she asks.

He smiles at her. "You're only human."

She smiles back.

* * *

Finn takes a deep breath before crossing the hallway to Rachel's locker. She looks up at him, and he's a little disappointed when she purses her lips.

"Finn," she acknowledges, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Hey, Rach. I got your candy gram today."

She turns away, spinning the dial on her locker. "Yes, well, I sent them to everyone on the team, so don't feel _too_ special."

"Right, yeah, of course," he says hastily. "Just wanted to let you know. I thought it was…"

He trails off after she opens her locker and he sees the four roses placed carefully on the top shelf. He has to bite his lip to keep from grinning.

She turns to him and raises an eyebrow. "You thought it was _what_, Finn?"

"Cute," he finishes somewhat lamely. "I mean, that you appreciate us. The team. We appreciate you, too, you know."

She rolls her eyes. "Of course you do."

He points to the roses. "Nice flowers."

She smiles with her mouth closed, but he knows her so well, he can tell it's taking all of her self-control to keep from grinning like an idiot. "Oh, yeah, an admirer left them for me. Someone who seems to _truly _appreciate me."

He raises his eyebrows. "Really. And you don't find that a little _creepy_, Rach? How did they get those into your locker anyway?"

She hesitates, then says, "Well, I don't know, but it's very romantic." She slams her locker shut. "And now, if you'd excuse me, Finn, I need to get to Spanish. I heard Mr. Schue is giving a pop quiz today, so I need to study."

"Have a nice day!" he shouts as she walks down the hallway. She doesn't answer, but he knows she heard him.

He knows he should probably worry about the pop quiz in Spanish, too, but he's already hopeless in Spanish anyway, so he focuses on the fact that Rachel was happy to get his flowers. By the time Valentine's Day rolls around, he'll be back with Rachel. That is, as long as everything goes according to plan.

* * *

"_When I see your face,  
There's not a thing that I would change,  
Because you're amazing,  
Just the way you are_

_And when you smile,  
The whole world stops and stares for a while,  
Because, girl, you're amazing,  
Just the way you are."  
_(x)  
"Just the Way You Are;" Bruno Mars_

* * *

_

**I debated about whether or not to reveal the fact that Finn is Rachel's secret admirer, but then I decided that with the way I've been writing the story, sort of from each character's point of view, that it would be impossible to write from Finn's unless you knew that he was sending her the candy grams and flowers. Haha.**

**Also, this is my first time ever writing Tina, so I hope that was alright. XD And both the psychology teacher and pre-calculus teacher are based loosely on the teachers I have in both those subjects, haha.**

**Thank you so much for reading, and I really appreciate the reviews/favorites/alerts! (:**


	4. a criminal like you

**I have a snow day (well, technically ice day) today, so the update is going up a little sooner than planned, which just means it's up this afternoon as opposed to this evening. (:  
Thanks as always for the wonderful reviews for the last chapter! :D They make my day. :3**

**Summary**: Valentine's Day is fast approaching. Plans are made, scores are settled, but at the end of the week, who will get their happy ending?  
**Pairings: **Finn/Rachel, Quinn/Puck, Quinn/Sam, Artie/Brittany, Santana/Sam, Santana/Puck, Tina/Mike, (slight) Tina/Artie, Kurt/Blaine

* * *

"_Just gonna stand there and watch me burn,  
But that's alright because I like the way it hurts.  
Just gonna stand there and hear me cry,  
But that's alright because I love the way you lie.  
I love the way you lie."  
_(x)  
"Love the Way You Lie" ; Eminem ft. Rihanna

* * *

_chapter four: a criminal like you_

_Thursday, February 10, 2011_

Quinn doesn't know exactly what she's doing in Noah Puckerman's car. She just knows that her car wouldn't start this morning and so she called the first person she could think of to ask for a ride, and, well, now here she is.

She sighs and leans her head against the cool glass.

"Hey," Puck says, turning down the Green Day that's blaring out of his stereo. "Are you okay, Quinn?"

She looks over at him and gives him a smile small. "Just a little worried."

"About seeing Sam today?"

She nods. "Things just… didn't end on the best terms. And he really _is_ a good guy."

Puck stares straight ahead, a muscle working in his jaw.

"What?" she asks. "It's not his fault I'm not with him, you know."

Puck still doesn't say anything.

"_I_ broke up with _him_," she reiterates.

Puck's scowl deepens. "Because he was being a punk about you quitting the Cheerios, which was _clearly _making you unhappy. Sounds like a fucking Prince Charming."

She rolls her eyes. "So maybe that was a little shallow on his part, but that doesn't make him a bad guy." She sighs. "I don't know why I'm talking to you about this anyway."

He smirks a little. "Who else are you going to talk to?"

She starts to retort, but then she stops. He's right. She really wouldn't know who else to talk to. "Just keep focused on driving, Puckerman," she grumbles, turning towards the window once again.

He laughs. "Alright, Princess."

She bites her tongue to keep from arguing with him. He can be sweet at times, like yesterday in the choir room, but other times, he's just plain _infuriating_. "Sometimes I wonder why I put up with you," she mutters.

"You couldn't survive without me, Quinnie," he teases.

Her heart jumps a little bit in her chest, and she tells herself that he's just joking, and, anyways, he's _wrong_. She doesn't need to depend on anyone, least of Noah Puckerman.

* * *

Tina puts her tray down next to Artie's at the lunch table, offering him a small smile. They haven't exactly been on the best of terms since their break-up, but she really does miss his friendship.

"Hey," she says quietly. "Mind if Mike and I sit here? He got in the taco line today, but I'm sure he'll be out in a few minutes…"

Artie smiles back and nods. "Sure, Tee."

"Thanks." She pulls out the chair and sits down carefully, smoothing down her skirt. "So…" she says. Artie looks at her expectantly. She swallows. "How're things with Brittany?"

He sighs, and looks down.

"Not good?" she asks. She's not sure if she can handle it if he starts crying or something. That would be _so _bad, and she's definitely not ready for that.

"No, no, they're _great_," Artie says quickly. "It's just…" He looks at her again. "I kind of promised her this great Valentine's Day. And I have _no _idea what to do, like, to make it special. I just feel like I got myself in way over my head here." He laughs sarcastically.

"Oh," Tina says. She debates for a second, then says, "I could talk to her, if you want? See what she thinks you're going to do, or something? Maybe it'll give you some ideas."

Artie smiles at her gratefully. "That'd be _awesome_, Tee. You'd really do that?"

She smiles back. "Sure, Artie. That's what friends are for." She sees Mike and waves at him. Brittany is close behind him, and they head over to the table.

"Hey, we should all go to the mall on Saturday," Brittany says and she sits down, offering Artie an extra plate of nachos, which he accepts.

"That'd be great," Tina says, trying to sound just as enthusiastic as Brittany. "I need some new clothes anyway."

"Maybe some yellow," Brittany suggests. "Yellow's my favorite color. It reminds of me sunshine. Also baby rabbits."

"Maybe," Tina allows.

Brittany beams at her. Then she turns to Artie. "Are you gonna come, too?"

"Uh, only if Mike does," he says quickly. "I don't wanna be a third wheel on your girl's day out."

Brittany looks confused. "I thought your chair only had two wheels."

"Yeah, I'll go," Mike says. "We could always hang out at the food court while they shop, if nothing else."

"Great," Artie says. "We'll all go to the mall on Saturday."

Tina ignores the queasy feeling she now has in her stomach. She can't be afraid. It's just Brittany. She seems really nice. Plus, she has to do this for Artie. And Artie and Mike will be there. It won't be so bad.

Right?

* * *

Rachel Berry feels a little disappointed. She's only had her admirer for a day, and it seems they've already given up on her. It's already fifth period, and she's been checking her locker after every class, and she's found nothing new.

She at least expected a candy gram, but the only ones she received this morning were from the majority of the club in response to the ones she sent out yesterday (minus one from Santana, but that's really no surprise). The one she got from Finn simply said '_I love you, Rach_,' but she knows she has to stay strong, so she threw his candy gram away and she hasn't allowed herself to think about it all day.

She puts in her combination, reminding herself not to get her hopes up. The odds that her admirer managed to sneak something in since lunch is very slim.

She opens the door of the locker and grins, spotting a box of chocolates on the top shelf. She grimaces because she probably shouldn't eat it, but there's also a very good possibility her admirer doesn't realize that she's a vegan.

She eagerly opens the card attached to it.

_Rachel,_

_I figured you probably like chocolate, because most girls seem to, but I also know that you're a vegan, so I got you some special organic chocolate, and no animals were harmed in the making of it whatsoever. Have a great day._

_Thinking of you,_

_An admirer_

She grins. He knew that she's a vegan. Somehow she's managed to stumble upon the perfect guy. This could be her chance to really, honestly, _truly _get over Finn. Her stomach flip-flops a little.

She still feels a little _wrong_, though. Ever since Finn pointed out the creepiness of the whole secret admirer thing, she has been feeling a little awkward about it. How _did _they get into her locker? How did they know that she's a _vegan_?

_It's romantic,_ she reminds herself. _It's like I'm in my own romantic comedy. _

She quickly scoops up her English binder as well as a copy of _The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn_ (which she hates for three reasons: Twain's writing style, which is just so _confusing_; the fact that 'Huckleberry' is insanely close to 'Puckleberry,' which is kind of the source of all her problems; and the fact that her ex-boyfriend's name is in the title, which makes it hard for her to keep her resolution of getting rid of any and all thoughts concerning him) and sets off down the hallway, thoughts about which song would play during the end credits (after she gets her happy ending) in the romantic comedy of her life filling her head.

* * *

Artie loves watching Brittany dance, and this isn't the first time he's come to watch her practice. She just always looks so graceful, and she moves so effortlessly. The first time he saw her dancing in glee rehearsal, he felt a twinge of jealousy because that was something he would never be able to do.

Now he just loves to watch her dance in the small studio she practices at, where he is now. She's spinning in circles, toes pointed. She's mastered tap and she's moved on to ballet.

She stops spinning and wobbles for a second, trying to regain her balance. In her blurred vision, she spots Artie. A huge grin spreads across her face. She runs over to him, nearly falling over when she reaches his chair.

"Whoa there," he says as he grabs her arms to steady her.

She's still smiling. "Hey! You're here! Watching me dance!"

He chuckles. "Yeah, sure am. You look great out there, Brit. I think you'll do magnificently at your recital next month."

She blushes. "Frannie is way better than me," she whispers, pointing to the tall, dark-haired woman showing a red-headed girl how to perfect her pointed toes.

"She's the instructor," Artie reminds her.

"Oh, right," Brittany says.

"Hey, after you're done, do you wanna go get some coffee or something?" he asks.

"Oh, yes!"

Artie smiles. "Great. Now go and finish up, otherwise Frannie might get angry."

"Alright." Brittany leans over and kisses him on the cheek before flouncing away.

He watches as she resumes her dance practice, his heart thumping in his chest and his cheek extra warm on the spot where she kissed him and suddenly he just _knows_. He's in love with Brittany. He smiles to himself. He's in _love_.

He could definitely get used to this feeling.

* * *

Santana's actually having a good time. It's kind of scaring her.

Sam smiles at her and offers her the basket of breadsticks. "Another one?"

She shakes her head. Her heart is pounding. What the hell is going on? She's Santana Lopez. She's calm, cool, and collected, with a dash (a pitcher) of bitchiness. So why are her hands getting clammy, and why does she feel like passing out every time Sam Evans smiles at her?

"Do you like Avatar?" he asks suddenly.

"What?"

He blushes. The red sits on his pale cheeks quite nicely, actually. Wait, what is she _thinking_? She doesn't care how his blush looks on his cheeks (even though it totally makes him look adorable).

"That movie with the blue aliens? The humans come to take over their planet, and this marine in a wheelchair, Jake Sulley, he falls in love with the warrior princess of the aliens—"

"Never seen it," Santana says quickly before he keeps going on with this ridiculous plotline.

He gapes at her. "Really? Never?"

She shakes her head. "Nope."

"Well, we should watch it sometime," he says, shooting her a half-smile. She hates that her stomach does a backflip.

She clears her throat. "So what does Barbie think of all this?"

He raises his eyebrows. "Of Avatar? I don't think she ever liked it that much, actually, which sucks because, it's, like, my favorite—"

"No," she breaks in, "of you going out with _me_."

He shrugs. "Dunno. We haven't really spoken since the break-up. Plus it doesn't really matter what she thinks. I'm here with you because I want to be, regardless of whatever she or anyone else thinks." Her stomach twists with guilt, and he makes it _so _much worse when he says, "I mean, it's not like you care what Puckerman thinks of us together or anything, right? Same concept."

She knows she must look guilty. She wants to lie and act like her normal hard-shelled shelf and scoff. But she can't. She thinks she actually might like him. And this is _bad_, because now he's looking like things are clicking into place.

"You… you don't care what Puckerman thinks, do you, Santana?"

"Wh-what? No, of course not." But she seals her guilt by looking at the table instead of his face.

"I can't believe this," Sam says. She meets his eyes, and he glares at her. "You never liked me at all, did you? You just wanted to make Puckerman _jealous_. God, how could I be so _stupid_?"

She wants to tell him that he's not stupid. She wants to say that she did like him – _does _like him. But all she can whisper is, "I'm so sorry."

He rolls his eyes, getting up from the booth. "Yeah, right, Santana. Use me, fine. But don't pretend like I matter to you afterwards." He throws a few bills down on the table. She wants to cry because, even though she was nothing but horrible to him, he's still paying like a gentleman. He starts to walk away, then turns back. "Oh, and I'd say good luck to you and Puckerman, but I'm pretty sure he's still in love with Quinn. She sure as hell loves him." He leaves, shrugging on his coat and heading out the door.

She hears his unspoken words almost as loudly as if he had shouted them: "Have fun being alone, with only yourself to blame."

She puts her head into her hands. How does she always screw _everything _up? Sure, at first it was about getting Puck back, but now she's just devastated that she blew things with Sam. He was so sweet to her, and Puck can just impregnate Quinn again or whatever, because it was never about _him_. It was about him making her feel worthless. And the best remedy for that wasn't revenge: It was feeling like someone wanted her. And that someone was Sam.

But now he's gone. And she's alone at Breadstix. And, God, he was her _ride_.

She sighs and gets out her phone, texting Brittany to see if she could come pick her up. (God knows how Brittany managed to pass her driver's test, but, somehow, she did.)

Brittany says she'll "be thur in 5 min," so Santana decides to wait outside. She might as well be where the air is as cold as her heart. (That is, if she has a heart at all).

* * *

"_I've got no place in my heart for a criminal like you to dwell in.  
This endeavor, make it last forever.  
I'm just delirious.  
You can't be serious.  
You're so infamous for leaving me a mess."  
_(x)  
"The Girl's a Straight-Up Hustler" ; All Time Low

* * *

**Well, that's chapter four. (:  
Next chapter, Kurt and Blaine will make an appearance. Now I KNOW you're excited. ;D Hopefully I'll have another snow/ice day tomorrow so I can get a lot more writing done. :3**

**Oh, and I'm a junior in high school (as are the characters on Glee, supposedly) and right now I'm reading _Huckleberry Finn _for my AP English class, and it's not my favorite book by any means. XD But every time I look at it, it reminds of Glee because (as Rachel says) Huckleberry is close to Puckleberry and then Finn, obviously. Hahahah. My English teacher has even accidentally called Huck 'Puck' a few times. Closeted Gleek? I suspect so.**

**I can't wait to get the emails saying someone has reviewed/favorited/alerted. ;)**

**You guys are awesome. **


	5. don't let me go

**Once again, I love you guys, haha. Your reviews make my day/week. (:**

**I only went to school one day this week (Monday) due to the massive ice storm that ransacked Indiana, which gave me plenty of time to write. This is probably my favorite chapter so far. (:**

**Azimio appears in this chapter, and according to the Glee Wikia, his first and last name is listed as 'Azimio Adams,' so that's what I used. (I actually thought Azimio was his last name, but apparently not. Haa.)**

**Also, this story is destined to be AU, I'm afraid, based on the promos I've seen for the V-Day episode. :( Ah, well.**

**Summary**: Valentine's Day is fast approaching. Plans are made, scores are settled, but at the end of the week, who will get their happy ending?  
**Pairings: **Finn/Rachel, Quinn/Puck, Quinn/Sam, Artie/Brittany, Santana/Sam, Santana/Puck, Tina/Mike, (slight) Tina/Artie, Kurt/Blaine

* * *

"_And none of this is enough.  
I still don't measure up.  
Sorry is never there when you need it._

_And now I do want you to know I hold you up above everyone.  
And I do want you to know I'd think you'd be good to me,  
And I'd be so good to you."  
_(x)  
"Good to You" ; Mariana's Trench

* * *

_chapter five: don't let me go_

_Friday, February 11, 2011_

Santana stares glumly at the single candy gram on her desk. (It's from Brittany, of course.) She feels like it's mocking her. She sneaks a glance across the room at Sam and at the small pile of candy grams on his desk as well. Maybe she'll buy him an "I'm sorry" candy gram at lunch today.

She looks away. That just sounds pathetic, even in her own head. She may be sorry, but she's still Santana, and she's not going to look ridiculous just because she hurt some poor boy's feelings.

"I heard Sam Evans and Quinn Fabray broke up," she hears Luanne Jameson whisper to Greta Brant behind her.

Greta sighs appreciatively. "That boy is _fine_."

"Think he'll take me out if I ask him?" Luanne asks.

Santana wants to turn around and tell Luanne that Sam has higher standards than _that_ and that she should get her head out of the clouds, but she realizes she has no right, so she holds her tongue.

"I'll bet he would," Greta agrees. "He's just so _nice_, you know?"

Santana can't take much more of this. "Mrs. Thompson?" she asks, raising her hand.

The old lady turns to look at her, her eyes magnified by her thick glasses. "A question about meiosis, my dear?" she asks.

"No, I was wondering if I could have a pass to go to the bathroom."

"Oh, sure, dear," Mrs. Thompson says, handing her the restroom pass.

Santana has to pass Sam's desk on her way out the door, and she doesn't dare look at him.

She wasn't right for him anyway. Like Greta said, he's just so _nice_. So why did he agree to go out with a bitch like her?

He's better off without her anyway.

* * *

"And congrats to you guys!" Mr. Schue says, leaning against the piano. "You've already raised over three hundred dollars!"

The group collectively claps and whoops.

"For four days, that's not bad. Not bad at all."

The bell rings, and everyone begins to gather their things. "Have a great weekend, guys!" Mr. Schue calls as they file out of the room.

"Hey, Rach, wait up," Mercedes says, following Rachel out of the choir room.

Rachel stops and turns around. "Hey, Mercedes," she beams.

Mercedes eyes her suspiciously. "Something goin' on with you, Rach?"

Rachel tries to look innocent but fails. For someone who aspires to be an actress, she knows she's not a very good liar. "I don't know what you're talking about, Mercedes."

"C'mon, girl!" Mercedes says. "_Spill_!"

"Well, if you insist." Rachel takes a deep breath and tries not to smile too widely. "I have a secret admirer."

"Aw, that's so _cute_," Mercedes coos. "Has he been sending you candy grams?"

Rachel nods. "And flowers. And chocolate – organic of course. It's so _romantic_, Mercedes, and just what I need to get over… well, you know."

Mercedes smiles. "You know what else I think you could use?"

Rachel shakes her head.

"A night out. You, me, Kurt, and Blaine are gonna hang out tonight," Mercedes announces.

Rachel feels excitement bubble up in her stomach. She's never really been invited to just "hang out" before, and she might just cry because she's being _accepted_. However, she also knows that crying might just get her invitation revoked.

She's also a little nervous, too.

"I've never met Blaine," she says, "and I don't always make the best impressions."

Mercedes waves that aside. "You'll be fine, girl. Tonight will be all about having fun, alright?"

Rachel nods eagerly.

The warning bell rings.

"Oops, gotta head off to child development," Mercedes says, turning to head in the opposite direction. "We'll pick you up at seven!"

Rachel grins and turns to open her locker. She beams when she sees the note taped inside.

_You're beautiful, inside and out. Sorry I don't have a gift for you today, but I promise to make it up to you. Meet me at Hadley's Café on Sunday? I really want to explain everything, face to face._

_Xo,_

_An admirer_

Her heart pounds in her chest. _He wants to meet her_.

She definitely has to go out tonight. She has a crisis, and, for the first time, she has friends who can help her through it.

Hopefully.

* * *

Finn's busy writing, of all things. He has a pad of paper out and a pen and he keeps scribbling ideas down – things to say to Rachel if she agrees to meet him on Sunday. She'll want to meet with him, won't she? She was obviously excited about her admirer, so she _has _to come.

"Hey."

Finn practically jumps a mile into the air. "Kurt! _Jesus_, don't scare me like that!"

Kurt smirks, leaning against the doorframe. "Don't you mean 'Cheesus'?"

Finn narrows his eyes and mutters, "Not funny."

Kurt laughs anyway. Then he spies the pad of paper on Finn's desk. "Is that… Are you _writing_?"

Finn blushes. "I just… Promise not to tell anyone? Especially Rachel?" He knows they're friends now, and, honestly, it kind of freaks him out, and the last thing he needs is for Rachel to know about his plan.

Kurt's eyes widen. "What did you get yourself into, Finn?"

"Just promise not to tell," he repeats.

Kurt sighs. "Fine, I promise."

"Well, I tried to get back together with Rachel this week."

"I know, she texted me," Kurt says.

_Figures_, Finn thinks. "Anyway, she told me she needed some time, and I… I decided to win her over."

"Oh, dear God," Kurt says, sitting down on Finn's bed. "_Please _tell me you did not make her some sort of homemade Valentine with 'My Sweetheart' on it."

"No, no, of course not," Finn says hastily, crossing the option off of the paper. "I sent her a candy gram and sent her flowers and got her chocolates."

"That's actually really romantic, Finn," Kurt tells him. "But did you apologize for your previous behavior along with the gifts?"

Finn sighs. "Well, she… doesn't know it was me. I'm kind of… her secret admirer."

"Oh, sweet Grilled Cheesus!"

"Will you _please _stop saying that? I should never have told you about that, and I know it was dumb, you don't have to –"

"Finn, never mind _that_! You need to tell Rachel it's you."

"I'm going to," he says defensively. "I told her to meet me on Sunday."

Kurt rolls his eyes. "Alright, but you need to do it _right_. It has to be _the _most romantic thing she has _ever _witnessed. You at least owe her that much, don't you think?"

Finn swallows, nodding. "Yeah, of course." He holds up the pad of paper. "I'm, uh… I'm working on it."

Kurt snatches the notebook, scanning through what Finn's written. He looks back up at his stepbrother and exhales loudly. "Finn, you'll probably need some help pulling this off."

"Well, will you help me, then?"

Kurt grins. "If there's one thing I love more than makeovers, it's matchmaking. So, yeah, I'll help you win back Rachel."

Finn grins back. "Cool. But do _not _tell Rachel, alright?"

Kurt rolls his eyes again. "Finn, I'm not some amateur. I can handle keeping this a secret." He tosses the notebook back to Finn and gets up off the bed. "Now I'm going to go freshen up, because Blaine will be here in a few minutes and then we're going to go pick up Mercedes and Rachel."

"You're hanging out with Rachel tonight?" Finn asks. "What are you guys gonna do?"

Kurt narrows his eyes. "If I tell you, you'll just run into us in a premeditated manner to check up on Rachel, and, if you want your plan to work, that is the _last _thing you need to be doing."

Finn stares at him blankly. "Premedical what?"

Kurt shakes his head. "Never mind. Point is, I'm not telling you. Now get back to your planning like a good little boy."

Finn groans. Kurt shuts Finn's door behind him.

Finn stares at the words he's scribbled on the paper already, and his ideas just seem stupider and stupider. How is he going to win back Rachel when he's clearly not capable of pulling this off? He prays (_not _to Grilled Cheesus, mind you) that Kurt will be able to help him, because he really does need all the help he can get.

* * *

Santana should have known that letting Brittany drag her on a double date would not end well. And she also should have known to _ask _who Brittany intended to recruit to be Santana's date.

But she didn't do either of those things, so now she's sitting on the inside of a booth at Breadstix (for the second night in a row) with Brittany, Artie, and, above all people, Azimio Adams.

Santana wonders what Sam would think of all this.

She fiddles with her fork, twirling her spaghetti but not really eating it. She needs to put all thoughts of Sam aside, anyway. She already burned that bridge, so she needs to deal with it.

Artie also looks like he feels extremely awkward with the arrangements for this evening, nervously glancing at her and Azimio frequently. Brittany is oblivious (probably because she always manages to be friends with everybody), animatedly talking about her favorite Spongebob episode.

"And then, Spongebob asks Patrick why he's mad, and Patrick says, 'I can't see my forehead!'" Brittany laughs loudly, causing a few heads to turn their way. Artie smiles at her.

Azimio rolls his eyes. "Great story, Brittany," he says sarcastically.

"Thanks!" she replies, unabashed.

He turns to Santana. "So I heard you went on a date with Lady Lips last night."

She glares at him. "Working for Jacob Ben Israel now, Azimio? I'm sorry, but I don't see why I'd give you the scoop."

"Yeah, right, like I'd ever associate myself with that little dweeb."

She rolls her eyes. She glances over and sees that Brittany and Artie are talking quietly, probably about more cartoons or something. Brittany's eyes light up and Artie laughs lightly. Santana just wants what they have. Is that so wrong?

"Anyways, why'd you decide not to keep seeing Blondie? Not man enough for you?" He waggles his eyebrows suggestively.

Santana scoffs. "You're digusting, Azimio."

"Aww, c'mon," he says, reaching over to grab her hand. "Everyone already knows how you roll, Santana. I was just hopin' to get a little somethin'-somethin'."

She yanks her hand away. "Ugh, no _thanks_."

Azimio rolls his eyes. "Alright, I get it, you need time to re-coop after your date with Lady Lips last night. He probably turned you down because he doesn't swing that way, not because you're not hot, Santana. Because, believe me, you are—"

"_Don't_," she hisses. "Don't talk about him like that. He's not gay. He's just too good, too good for me, and for you."

She notices Brittany and Artie have stopped talking and are looking fearfully over at her and Azimio.

"Didn't realize you were in _love_ with the guy," Azimio snaps back at her. "When did you get _standards_, Santana?"

She glares at him. "When I realized that other people – people like Sam, not people like you – have feelings, too. And people like Sam also made me realize that I deserve better."

She turns to Brittany. "Can you move, please, Brit? I'd really like to leave."

Brittany nods, getting up out of the booth. "I'll text you, okay?"

Santana gives her a weak smile. "Sure thing."

She hears Azimio tell Artie to wheel himself out of his way, and then he shouts, "San_tan_a! You think one queer boy tells you you're worth something, that makes you better than me? Well, it _doesn't_!"

She stops, anger seeping through her veins. She's aware the whole restaurant has gone silent and is watching the scene play out as she strides toward Azimio. She slaps him across the face, hard, the smack ringing throughout the restaurant.

He reaches up to hold his aching cheek. "_Damn_."

"I _am_ better than you," she says quietly.

She turns around and leaves the restaurant, letting the door slam behind her.

* * *

Rachel's actually having fun. She had never heard of Giuseppe's, but apparently it's the hot place for the students of Dalton to hang out, and she's talking and laughing with Kurt, Blaine, and Mercedes like they've been friends for years.

If this is what having friends feels like, she could definitely get used to this feeling.

"Having fun, Rach?" Mercedes asks, taking a sip of her Diet Coke.

Rachel nods. "I am, actually. It's good to get my mind off… things."

She blatantly ignores the look Kurt and Blaine share. She knows Kurt probably talks to Blaine about her problems, especially concerning his stepbrother, and she isn't quite sure how she feels about that.

"So, tell the boys about your exciting week." Mercedes nudges her gently, smiling.

Rachel blushes. "Oh, why are we still talking about me? I want to know all about Dalton –"

"That is the most un-Rachel-Berry-like thing I have ever heard come out of your mouth," Kurt announces. "Now, spill."

Rachel sighs. "I… have this secret admirer."

Kurt visibly stiffens for a second, which Rachel finds odd, but she must've imagined it because he immediately squeals, "Oh my God, that's so _romantic_!"

"Isn't it?" Mercedes asks. "He's been leaving her notes and chocolates and flowers."

Blaine raises an eyebrow. "When we were ordering, didn't you specifically say you were a vegan?"

"He got me organic chocolates," Rachel assures him.

"Which makes it _that _much more adorable," Mercedes adds with a wink.

Blaine laughs. "That _is _pretty adorable."

Rachel feels herself blush. "Can you please stop calling it 'adorable'?"

"But it's _adorable_!" Kurt and Blaine say together, laughing.

"He asked me to meet him on Sunday," Rachel blurts out. Kurt and Blaine stop laughing abruptly. "He left me a note in my locker today and said he wanted to meet me."

Mercedes beams. "That's _great_, Rach!"

"But what if…" Rachel falters, then takes a deep breath. "What if he's not what I'm expecting?"

"Well, what _are _you expecting?" Blaine asks.

"Prince Charming, I suppose," Kurt says.

"Well… yeah," Rachel admits. "But what if he's some creep or worse he doesn't show up or—"

"He'll show up," Kurt says confidently.

"But how do you _know _that?" Rachel moans.

Kurt hesitates, so Blaine jumps in. "If he went through all this time and effort to make you happy and to see you smile, he can't be the type of guy who would just set you up, Rachel," he tells her gently.

Mercedes nods. "That's right, Rach. This boy has been way too sweet to just not show up. I'll bet he really cares about you."

Rachel smiles at them. "I hope you're right."

"We are," Blaine assures her.

"Promise us you'll go," Kurt says suddenly. "You… you need to go, Rachel. And you need to keep an open mind, alright? Like, even if he's not what you expected at first, he put a lot of time and effort into this and it seems like he really cares about you, so… Just promise you'll go?"

Rachel narrows her eyes in suspicion. "Why are you pushing this, Kurt?"

Kurt sighs. "You deserve to be happy, Rachel, and this… admirer… he might just be your best bet. Or maybe not, but you won't know unless you try, you know?"

Rachel still feels like there's something Kurt's not telling her, but she knows he probably wouldn't tell her, no matter how much she begs and pleads. So she nods. "I'll go," she tells them.

"Yes! That's my girl!" Mercedes gives her a one-armed hug. Rachel smiles.

"Next round of Cokes is on me!" Blaine announces, standing up to go order at the counter.

"You won't regret going, Rach," Mercedes tells her. "You'll see."

Rachel doesn't say anything, just sips her Coke, but she really hopes that Mercedes is right.

* * *

Once again, Quinn finds herself in the company of Noah Puckerman and is unsure how she came to be here. She was sitting at home and watching an episode of 16 and Pregnant, and the couple gave up their baby for adoption and she just _lost _it.

Sobbing, she called up Puck and somehow managed to convey that he needed to come pick her up, and now they're sitting in his truck in his driveway.

She finally breaks the silence. "Thanks for picking me up," she whispers.

"You sounded upset," he notes.

She nods. "I just…" She bites her lip, willing herself not to start crying again. "I miss her, you know?"

He nods. She loves that she doesn't even have to say her name; he just _knows _that she's talking about Beth.

"I miss her, too," he says quietly.

"I just didn't think giving her up would be this _hard_." Her voice wobbles with the tears that threaten to fall once more. "I mean, we did the right thing, d-didn't we?" She glances over at Puck, who looks back at her, his eyes also tearing up a little bit. "She'll have a b-better life, and sh-she d-deserves everything that w-we couldn't g-give her."

Puck takes her hand. "We did the right thing," he assures her, rubbing circles on the back of her hand.

Quinn shakes her head. "I know you wanted to keep her, but I j-just couldn't."

"I know," he tells her quickly, tilting her chin up so he's looking her in the eye, "and she has a good life now, Quinnie. One better than the one we could give her. I may have wanted to keep her, but it would have been selfish of me."

Quinn laughs, but it comes out as more of a choking noise due to her tears. "You're many things, Noah Puckerman," she whispers, "but selfish is not one of them."

Puck gives her a half-smile.

She swallows. "You would have been a _great_ dad."

"You would have been an even better mom, you know."

She loses it then, tears and snot streaming down her face, sobs wracking her body.

"C'mere," Puck says, scooping her up and pulling her onto his lap. He smoothes her hair down and rocks her as she cries.

She feels safe as he rocks her, but she can't help but remember all the pain she must've caused him – giving up their daughter, ignoring him for half a year, dating Sam. He should hate her, but, for some reason, he _doesn't_.

She doesn't think about what this means for them. She doesn't think about where this will lead. She just lets him comfort her and she thinks about their daughter, and, for the first time, she thinks maybe sleeping with Puck hadn't been a mistake after all.

Maybe it had really been the best thing that's ever happened to her, because it led her to where she is right now. It led her to a place where she just might belong.

* * *

"_Some things we don't talk about,  
__Rather do without,  
And just hold the smile  
__Falling in and out of love,  
Ashamed and proud of,  
Together all the while_

_You can never say never,  
When we don't know when,  
But time and time again,  
__Younger now than we were before_

_Don't let me go.  
Don't let me go.  
Don't let me go."  
_(x)  
"Never Say Never" ; The Fray

* * *

**I usually try to pick songs that pertain to multiple situations within the chapter, and I think these songs can pertain to most of the situations, but they relate more to two specific stories: "Good to You" to the Sam/Santana storyline, from Santana's point of view, and "Never Say Never" to the Puck/Quinn storyline. The song was, like, written for them. Seriously. (;**

**Well, by the end of this six-day weekend (since I haven't gone to school since Monday XD), I should have another chapter written, but it won't be up until Monday. **

**GLEE ON SUNDAY :D I'm excited, haha.**

**Review/favorite/alert (:**


	6. and i'm only human

**Helllllooo. Thanks as always to those of you who left reviews.  
This chapter is probably not the best, because the juicy stuff starts in next chapter, and I just had some writer's block at first when it came to this one.  
Also, it is extremely likely that the Valentine's Day episode will be nothing like this. Sadface. :(**

**Summary**: Valentine's Day is fast approaching. Plans are made, scores are settled, but at the end of the week, who will get their happy ending?  
**Pairings: **Finn/Rachel, Quinn/Puck, Quinn/Sam, Artie/Brittany, Santana/Sam, Santana/Puck, Tina/Mike, (slight) Tina/Artie, Kurt/Blaine

* * *

"_Don't waste your time on me.  
You're already the voice inside my head.  
I miss you, miss you."  
_(x)  
"I Miss You" ; Blink-182

* * *

_chapter six: and i'm only human_

_Saturday, February 12, 2011_

Finn's growing nervous as Kurt alternately highlights things on the list he's accumulated and crosses things off. Kurt glances up at him, makes one more mark on the paper, then hands it back to Finn.

Finn scans it eagerly, then groans. "Why'd you cross off releasing a cage full of doves? I thought that was one of the more romantic options."

Kurt stares at him. "Really? And where are you going to get these doves? And why are you taking them to a café? Plus, doesn't Rachel have a fear of—"

"_Crap_! You're right, she totally has a bird-phobia. Thanks so much, Kurt. Really, I would epically fail this whole thing if you weren't here to help me."

Kurt smiles. "I know, Finn. Believe me, I _know_."

Finn sighs. "Okay, so I get to the café first. Do I just go up and say, 'Hey, Rach! Funny story – I'm your secret admirer.'"

Kurt purses his lips. "Well, basically, but maybe not so straight-forward. I mean, it would be rude to keep her waiting for some knight to come riding in on a horse when he's not coming."

"Wait," Finn says slowly, processing Kurt's scenario. "Does that mean I'm automatically not the knight in shining armor?"

"Well, no," Kurt assures him hastily. "It just means that she's not _expecting _you to be the knight in shining armor. So you have to prove to her that you are. Tell her that you're sorry about the Santana thing and the way you treated her, for starters. And then tell her how much you care about her, and how much she means to you. And that you did this whole secret admirer thing—"

"To show her she's worth it," Finn finishes quietly. "To show that she's the one, and that she's always _been _the one. I was just an idiot who couldn't see it."

"Exactly," Kurt says, sighing in relief. "Do you want me to write this stuff down for you? Maybe on some notecards?"

Finn shakes his head. "I think I got it, actually. I think, for the first time, I'm actually _getting _it. She shouldn't even _want _to meet with me. I shouldn't go at all, Kurt."

"No, no, _no_," Kurt tells him. "You are _going_. I worked hard getting Rachel to see that she _has _to meet you, and if you don't show up, that'll just _crush _her. And you will _not _break her heart again, Finn Hudson. I won't allow it."

"She'll be disappointed," he points out. "And she has a right to be. I should've… I should've just left her alone and let her move on. This was so _selfish _of me."

"You didn't see how _happy_ she was, talking about the gifts you left her," Kurt tells him, his voice filled with reassurance. "You make her happy, Finn. I know she doesn't know it's you," he adds hastily when Finn starts to break in, "but you make her light up. It's always been you who can do that to her. And, yeah, she might be angry at first, but I think she'll come around, and finally you two will live happily ever after, and I won't have to listen to either of you moan anymore, making it a winning situation for _everyone_."

Kurt pauses for breath. "Now, let's finish these plans to sweep Ms. Berry off her feet."

Finn offers Kurt a timid smile. "Thanks, man."

Kurt rolls his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Don't get mushy on me. We still have a long way to go. No balloons, alright? Balloons are just… cheesy. And kind of awful. So I'm vetoing that."

Finn sighs, crossing the balloons off his list.

* * *

Tina almost regrets agreeing to this mall trip. Almost immediately, Artie and Mike head off to the food court, leaving her to shop with Brittany.

"We should go to the pet store," Brittany says, looking at Tina with wide-eye innocence.

Tina sighs and agrees.

"Don't you just love animals?" Brittany asks, taking Tina's hand and practically dragging her through the crowd.

"Yeah, they're alright," Tina answers. "Just not the snakes and stuff. I don't really like slimy things."

"I used to have a frog," Brittany tells her. "His name was Mr. Jeremy. But then my cat ate him."

Tina doesn't know what to say to that, so she decides to go with, "Oh."

"It's okay, though," Brittany continues. "Rainbow Unicorn is super smart, and she found out about Mr. Jeremy through my diary. I just had to start hiding it so she wouldn't read it anymore."

Tina doesn't know whether to be more alarmed that she thinks her cat can read or that she named her cat Rainbow Unicorn. Thankfully, she doesn't have to decide because they reach the pet store.

Brittany practically rushes through the door, still dragging Tina behind her. She stops at the rabbit cages, staring at them longingly. "I've always wanted a bunny," she says mournfully.

A saleswoman approaches them and notices Brittany eyeing the rabbits (because it's really hard to ignore). "Would you like to hold one?" she asks Brittany gently.

Brittany lights up. "Oh, can I?"

The woman smiles, pulling on her gloves. She reaches into the cage and pulls out a brown and white rabbit, setting it in Brittany's outstretched arms.

Brittany pets its fur, her eyes never leaving the rabbit. "Good bunny," she says quietly. "No need to be scared. We're gonna be best friends, alright? Just don't tell Santana." She smiles up at Tina. "Do you wanna hold it?" she asks.

Tina shakes her head. "Nah, that's okay. I think he likes you too much."

Brittany beams. "I really like hanging out with you, Tina," she announces. "I used to think that you were like a vampire or something, or one of those harajuku girls that Gwen Stefani used to have following her around, but you're really cool. We should hang out more often."

Tina smiles back at her. She actually _does _like hanging out with Brittany. Sure, she's a little dumb, but she's so nice and genuinely caring, it's hard _not _to like her. "We definitely should," she replies.

Brittany sighs, putting the rabbit back in the cage. "Bye, Norman," she says sadly.

"You named him Norman?" Tina asks, eyebrows raised.

"No, that's what he told me his name was," Brittany insists. Before Tina can think up a reply, she adds, "Let's go look at some clothes now, okay? I think you need some new clothes that…"

"Aren't black?" Tina offers.

Brittany nods.

"Let's go," Tina says. This time, she's the one who grabs Brittany's hand.

* * *

"So, what have you been up to?" Blaine asks, sliding into the booth at Breadstix across from Kurt. (They're not dating yet, but they might as well be. Seriously.)

Kurt sighs. "Well, if I tell you, you have to _promise _not to tell anyone. Especially not _Rachel_. Understand?"

Blaine looks confused. "Wait. I liked Rachel. Is this something bad about Rachel?"

"_No_," Kurt says with exasperation. "It's about her secret admirer."

"That is possibly the cutest story ever," Blaine tells him. "Seriously. It's like straight out of a Nicholas Sparks novel."

"Yeah, well, it could end in _disaster_," Kurt laments.

"Wait, what?"

"Her secret admirer is my stepbrother, Finn. Her _ex-boyfriend_." Kurt lets that sink in for a second.

"Oh. My. Sweet. Jesus."

"That's what _I_ said!"

"You've told me a lot about Finn," Blaine begins. "And… not all of it is flattering to his… wit. So how the hell is he pulling this thing off? I mean, Rachel was absolutely _gushing_. And isn't she pissed at him? For what he did to her?"

"Finn's actually done pretty well so far," Kurt allows. "But when she finds out it's him, he's worried Rachel will not take it well. He enlisted me to help him out, so he doesn't screw everything up."

Blaine lets out a low whistle. "He's feeling the pressure, huh?"

"Yeah, just trying to win back the woman he loves who was broken-hearted after he scorned her," Kurt says sarcastically. "No reason to freak out or anything."

Blaine rolls his eyes. "Well, when you put it like that…"

Kurt laughs lightly.

"So what do you and Finn have in store for Miss Berry?"

Kurt smiles coyly. "Do you really want me to spoil it for you?"

"Uh, yes, please!"

Kurt leans forward as he starts to tell Blaine the plan.

* * *

He stops by Quinn's house with a bouquet of flowers in hand. Honestly, he's a little nervous when he rings the doorbell – and that's saying something, because Noah Puckerman _never _gets nervous.

Quinn opens the door, and her smile fades. "Puck," she says, her voice emotionless. "What are you doing here?"

He shoots her a dazzling smile. "Can't I stop by to surprise my girl?"

"Your girl?" she asks, crossing her arms.

"If you don't want to label it, that's fine, but I just…" He swallows. This isn't going at all like he had planned. "After what happened yesterday, I just figured that made us something more."

Quinn closes her eyes, and Puck knows that she's trying not to think about the hour she spent crying in his car. "You did?" she asks.

"Well, yeah." He takes her hand in one of his own. "When I kissed you, it wasn't just because you were sad and I wanted to cheer you up. I _love _you, Quinn. I always have, and I always will. I know you're probably scared, but we can take things slow. I just… I wanna be with you."

Quinn gulps, and she extracts her hand from Puck's. "I – I can't do this, Puck. I just came to terms with Beth and everything and I can't _do _this with you. I'm not _ready_."

Puck nods, trying to keep his emotions in check. "I get it, Quinn. I really do. And I just hope you know that I'm the _only one _who gets it."

A tear slides down her cheek.

He drops the flowers onto the porch and turns to walk away. "You can come and find me when you're ready, Quinn. I don't wanna make you do something you don't wanna do."

"_Puck_," she calls out after him.

He doesn't turn back around, but he says, "You can keep the fuckin' flowers."

He climbs into his truck and pulls out of Quinn's driveway. He thought that this time, things would be different. Once again, he is wrong.

* * *

Sam doesn't know why going to the mall seemed like a good idea. He doesn't really have anyone to hang out with, but at the same time, he needs to get some fresh air.

Plus, he's super hungry.

He waits in line at the Chinese place and after he finally puts in his order, he hears someone calls his name. He turns around to see Mike and Artie waving at him from a table a few feet away.

He picks up his food and heads over to them. "Hey, guys," he says with a grin. "What brings you here?"

"Shopping with Brittany and Tina," Mike answers.

"Well, _they're _shopping," Artie adds. "We're just… hangin' out. Feel free to hang with us, bro."

Sam smiles and sits down. "Don't mind if I do."

"Artie was just in the middle of the story about his double date from hell yesterday," Mike tells him. He glances down at Sam's meal. "Nice choice, by the way. I know the family that runs the Chinese place here. Their food is _excellent_."

Artie nods. "The food is good. But the date? It was _awful_."

"What happened?" Sam asks around a mouthful of lo mein.

"Brit decided it would be a good idea to double with Santana and _Azimio _of all people."

Sam nearly chokes on his noodles. His heartbeat quickens at the mention of Santana's name and he feels a little sick.

"It didn't start off well, and it certainly didn't end well. Azimio basically called Santana a whore and he… well, he ragged on _you_, actually, Sam, because he heard you went on a date with her Thursday."

"Did you?" Mike asks.

Sam nods. "What did Azimio say?"

"Called you gay. Nothing too exciting. He can't think up anything else, really. But Santana defended you, bro."

"She did?"

Artie nods. "For real. Said something about how you were better than everyone, or something. Like, I've never heard Santana talk that way about another human being. Maybe Brittany like, once."

Sam shakes his head. "You probably misunderstood it. She wasn't really interested in me, anyways. She was just using me to get back at Puckerman."

"Ouch," Mike says. "Tough break."

"Maybe it started off that way," Artie allows, "but it sure didn't _seem_ that way. If Santana doesn't care, she shows it. She would've yelled at you for blowing her plan or something. I think that along the way, something changed. She actually likes you, Sam."

Sam rolls his eyes. "Yeah, I'll believe that when I hear it from her. Which I won't. Because she _doesn't_."

Artie looks like he's about to say something else, but Mike urges, "Finish the story, dude."

"Right, right, yeah," he says. "Where was I? Oh, yeah. So Azimio's ragging on you, and Santana gets up and tells Brittany she's leaving, and then Azimio _pushes _me out of the freaking way so he can get out and yells after her, 'You think one queer boy tells you you're worth something, that makes you better than me? Well it _doesn't_!' Then she stops, and you can tell she is _pissed_, and she comes back and tells Azimio she _is _better than him, and then she _slaps _him. Like, it freaking _rang _through the place."

"Good for her," Mike says approvingly. "Azimio's a pig."

Sam nods, staring into space. "Yeah, he is."

"Maybe you should try talking to her," Artie suggests. "Just ask about what's going on with her."

Sam sighs. "Nothing's going on with her, and that's the whole point. She just… she used me, and I have to accept that and move on."

He gets up and picks up his tray. "I gotta bounce, dudes. My mom wants me to take my sister to her ballet recital tonight, so I've gotta go."

"But it's only three o'clock," Artie points out.

Sam shrugs. "I gotta go," he repeats.

Artie and Mike say goodbye, and then Sam leaves, wondering why he came to the mall in the first place. Now he's just even more confused about his feelings for Santana than ever. If she likes him, then why doesn't she just _say _so? Why does she keep jerking him around?

He's experienced heartbreak twice in one week. This can only mean one thing.

Girls suck.

* * *

"_Who will bring me flowers when it's over?  
And who will give me comfort when it's cold?  
__And who will I belong to when the day just won't give in?  
And who will tell me how it ends and how it all begins?  
__Don't ever say goodbye._

_And I'm only human.  
I'm only human."  
_(x)  
"Flowers for a Ghost" ; Thriving Ivory

* * *

**Okay, so girls don't really suck. Sam just thinks so. ;) Will he eventually be proven wrong? Well, I guess you'll just have to tune in and see. ;D**

**Oh, and I lovelovelove Darren Criss (Starkid since '09, baby! ;D) but I find Blaine suuuuper hard to write, for whatever reasons. Hmmm.**

**And before my Quick readers kill me, hold on: I just figured last chapter, Quinn would have viewed that as showing weakness, and she still needs to be strong, and she's conflicted about Puck. She doesn't want to need him. But, at the same time, she does. I hope that makes sense. XD (And don't worry, I have good stuff in store for them. ;))**

**The superbowl ep was pretty amazing! But  
POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT  
I hate Finn/Quinn. I love Quinn, and I love Finn, but I hate them together. So if they get back together, I might just have to hunt down the writers. And trust me, it won't be pretty. Plus Finn will just be a huge hypocrite. Hello? Break up with Rachel for cheating and then get back together with Quinn who a) cheated and got pregnant and b) lied about it. **

**Anyways, I hope you can find somewhere in your hearts the love to review! ;)**


	7. breathing slowly

**Thanks for all you lovelies who stick with this story. (:  
Also: Rant about the latest episode will be after the update. ;D**

**You guys rock. 'Nough said. (:**

**Summary**: Valentine's Day is fast approaching. Plans are made, scores are settled, but at the end of the week, who will get their happy ending?  
**Pairings: **Finn/Rachel, Quinn/Puck, Quinn/Sam, Artie/Brittany, Santana/Sam, Santana/Puck, Tina/Mike, (slight) Tina/Artie, Kurt/Blaine

* * *

"_And I'll be that: I'll take your side  
If I'm the only one, I'm used to that  
I've been alone  
I'd rather be  
__The half of us,  
__The least of you,  
The best of me.  
__  
And I will be  
I'll be your prince  
I'll be your saint  
I will go crashing through fences.  
In your name, I will, I swear  
__I'll be someone to fall back on."  
_(x)  
"Someone to Fall Back On" ; Aly Michalka + I Can't Go On, I'll Go On

* * *

_chapter seven: breathing slowly_

_Sunday, February 13, 2011_

Quinn screwed up. Again.

She panicked, that's all. Puck came to her door with flowers and a smile and "_I love you_" and she _panicked. _She kept Puck's flowers, though. She scooped them up off her porch and brought them inside.

Now, they're in a vase next to her bed. She flips over onto her stomach to look at them. He got her daisies. She can't believe he remembered that they're her favorites.

She wipes at her eyes. She's done with crying. She may have screwed all this up, but she's going to be the one to fix it. She can be happy with Puck, truly happy like she hasn't been since… well, since before high school, really. She had a glimpse of it, while she cried in his car. She saw how happy they could be.

It's partly why she told him she couldn't do it. She doesn't deserve to be happy. She broke Finn's heart, broke Sam's heart, and broke Puck's heart. She cheated on Finn, got knocked up by another guy, and _lied _about it. She broke up with Sam because they just weren't working, but she still feels awful. And Puck… she gave his – _their _– daughter away. And then she acted like they never happened.

She's probably hurt Puck most of all. She doesn't understand why he keeps coming back to her. She doesn't deserve him.

She sighs, sitting up. She needs to fix things with Puck. She's screwed things up for the last time.

She grabs her car keys off her dresser and heads out her bedroom door.

* * *

"You really think I should get her one?" Artie asks doubtfully, holding the phone against his ear.

"_Yes_," Tina sighs on the other line. _"She said she always wanted one. And you should've seen the way she talked to it! I'll even go back to the pet store with you and help you pick out the same rabbit, if you want."_

"It doesn't really fit in my whole plan, though, Tee. I mean, I was gonna take her out to a fancy dinner and get her flowers—"

"_Is this about Brittany?" _Tina cuts in. _"Or is this about you?"_

Artie stops for a second. "You're right," he concedes. "This day is supposed to be about Brit."

"_Then you should get her the rabbit, pick up some Chinese, and watch a sappy romance movie with her. I spent all day with her yesterday. Believe me, that's _exactly _what she wants."_

Artie smiles. "You really think so?"

"_Artie. I know so. And it wouldn't hurt to tell her you love her, you know."_

"Did she say something?" Artie asks, alarmed. He just hasn't told Brittany yet because he's waiting for the right time. Maybe Tina's right, though. Maybe Valentine's Day would be the _perfect_ time.

"_No, she didn't," _Tina tells him. _"But as someone who is also a girl, I would find it romantic. And it's obvious that you love her, Artie. It's a miracle she hasn't figured it out yet, and she's not the brightest. That's how obvious it is."_

"Shut up," he mutters.

She laughs. _"Well, I have to go. Mike wants to see a movie. I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"_

Artie says okay and then hangs up. Tina's given him the basis for a perfect plan. Now he just has to put it into action.

* * *

Quinn takes a deep breath and then rings the doorbell. She prays that Puck will be the one to open the door.

The door opens, and it's just her luck: Mrs. Puckerman crosses her arms, a frown on her face.

"Well, if it isn't the little siren who corrupted my Noah."

Quinn resists the urge to roll her eyes and tell Mrs. Puckerman that _Noah_ was corrupted long before he met her – in fact, if anything, _he _corrupted _her_. "Is Pu – Is Noah home? I'd like to speak with him, please."

Mrs. Puckerman sighs, then opens the door a little wider. "Come in, I guess. I'll send Noah down."

Quinn smiles and tries not to make it seem sarcastic. "Thanks."

She stands awkwardly in the living room, not sure if she should sit on the couch or not. She's reminded of the five months she lived here, watching television with Puck and his sister. She smiles slightly as she recalls the time he tried to teach her "the secret art of Super Mario Brothers."

"What are you doing here?"

She turns around abruptly to see Puck, leaning against the doorframe. His face betrays nothing, no emotion on it whatsoever. "I was under the impression that you didn't want to see me. Or talk to me."

She sighs. "Please, don't be like that. I came over here to apologize."

He raises an eyebrow. "Really, princess?"

She bites back the retort that flies to her lips; she's trying to make up with him: Insulting him won't be the best choice. "I got scared, Puck, okay? I just… I could see it all: You and me, growing old together, all that cheesy romance movie stuff. And then I thought: Why do I deserve this? What did I ever do? I'm… I'm not a good person. So I was trying to punish myself. I didn't mean… I didn't mean to punish you, too."

He takes a few steps towards her. "Don't say that, Quinn."

She shakes her head. "Puck, just _think _about it. I cheated on Finn. I insulted you and stomped all over your heart. And I gave Beth away, and I _know _that hurt you. You don't have to lie to me, Puck."

He closes the distance between them, taking her hands in his own. "You make it _so _hard to stay mad at you."

She manages a small smile.

"You are a great person," he tells her. "And yeah, you've screwed up in the past, but I have, too. And giving up Beth was _not _a mistake. It would've… it would've been selfish to keep her. She deserves the life she has, the life we couldn't give her. I may have not seen it at first, but I see it now. And you… you saw it from the beginning."

Her eyes fill with tears, and she looks up to meet his gaze.

"What we have, or could have, or whatever – it's not perfect. It will never be perfect." He smooths back her hair, his fingers lightly tracing her cheek. "But it's _us_. And I love you, Quinn—"

She smashes her lips against his, putting her hand on the back of his neck to keep him as close to her as possible for as long as possible. She tries to convey that she loves him, too with the urgency of her kiss. He smiles against her lips, so she thinks he gets the message.

"NOAH!"

They break apart in a hurry to see Emily, Puck's little sister, standing with her hands on her hips. She smiles when she sees Quinn.

"Em, do you mind?" Puck asks, wrapping an arm around Quinn's waist. She can't help but smile.

Emily smirks. "About damn time."

Quinn laughs as Puck scowls. "Emily, you shouldn't say words like that."

Emily raises her eyebrows. "But you use them, Noah," she says, feigning innocence.

Puck mutters something about her being a little demon child, and Emily addresses Quinn. "Good to have you back."

Quinn smiles, looking up at Puck. He smiles back at her. "It's good to be back."

* * *

Rachel walks down Main Street in downtown Lima with a smile on her face and her heart pounding. This is it. She's going to finally meet her secret admirer. She's positive that once she engages in a relationship with him (because that's what's bound to happen, isn't it?) that she'll move on from Finn for good. She smiles a little wider. She pauses outside the café, smoothing down her heart-covered skirt.

Rachel has butterflies as she enters the café. The text she got from her admirer (she _does _wonder how he got her number, but she brushes it off) said he'd be waiting at the third table from the left. She scans the crowd eagerly, but all she can see is the back of his head. He's a brunette. She grins.

She walks over and taps him on the shoulder. "Hello, you must be – _Finn_?"

No. This can't be happening. No, no, no, _no_. Her admirer was sweet and romantic and just _not Finn_.

Finn smiles sheepishly at her. "Hey, Rach. Won't you – er – won't you sit down?"

She can't move. She can't breathe. The only thing she can do is stare in disbelief.

"Look, Rachel, just let me explain –"

"No," she says, finding her voice. "How – how could you _do _this, Finn? I mean, I thought… I thought I was _finally _getting over you, and then I find out the guy I'm getting over you with is – is _you_?"

"Rachel, _please_ –"

"I can't even –"

She turns to go, but he stands up and grabs her arm. "Rachel, I did this because I love you. And you – you deserve epic romance. This was me trying to give it you, but you were pissed at me, so I couldn't give to you as me because you wouldn't believe me, but… It's always been you, Rachel. You're the only one I want. I _love _you –"

"Don't," she says, and she's ashamed of the tears that threaten to spill any second. Her throat constricts. "You don't get to say that anymore, Finn. You broke up with me. You chose to live without me. You didn't believe me. Am I really supposed to believe all this? You've never done anything like this before. Why now?"

"Because you're worth it," he says quietly. "Because you're the _only _one who's worth it."

The tears start falling, sliding down her cheels. "I can't do this," she says, wrenching her arm out of Finn's grasp. "I just… I can't."

She races out of the café, ignoring the stares of the other people, ignoring Finn calling her name with so much _pain _in his voice. Her vision is so blurred, she can barely see. She stops, collapsing onto a bus bench, putting her head in her hands and just sobbing.

She probably looks a like mess. She probably could have handled things better. But the thing she hates the most isn't that she's sad she's not moving on from Finn – it's the fact that part of her is happy that it's him. And she just hurt him in front of _so _many people.

She knew this was too good to be true.

* * *

Santana has no idea what she's doing. She has this pad of notebook paper and a pen and her thoughts and she wonders why she thought this was such a good idea. Well, actually, it was Brittany's idea.

(_"You should totally write him a love note. That would be so romantic. And he'd _have _to forgive you. It's, like, a rule or something. Oooh! You could even put it in a bottle!"_)

Santana thinks she'll just write the damn thing and hope that all goes well. (She will _not _send it via bottle, though, no matter how much more romantic it may seem).

_Dear Sam,_

Well, it's a start. She stares for a few more seconds, then decides to just _fuck it_ and starts to write down everything that she's thinking. It's not like he's going to read it, anyways. (She's a headstrong girl, but she doubts that she will _ever _have the courage to give this to him.)

She pauses every few seconds, rereading what she wrote, and at first she makes to crumple it up because it sounds stupid, but then she realizes that whatever she writes, it's going to sound stupid. So she powers onward.

By the time she gets to the end, a few tears are sliding down her cheeks. She knows they only went on one date, but there was just _something _about Sam Evans. She makes sure to put that down.

She caps the pen and folds up the piece of paper. She hesitates, then puts Sam's name on the front. She decides that she'll get Brittany to give to him for her. He at least deserves this apology. He actually deserves _so _much more than that, but Santana doesn't know how to give that to him. He hates her, anyway. And he should.

If she wanted to be super cheesy, she'd dedicate a song to him in glee club. She rolls her eyes. The last thing she wants to do is pull a Rachel.

She sighs and calls up Brittany.

"_Hey!"_ she answers, bubbly as ever. _"I know it's you, Santana. Artie taught me how to work the caller IV."_

Santana bites back a laugh. "I think you mean ID, Brit."

"_Oh, yeah…"_

"Anyways, I need a favor," Santana presses. "Do you think you can give Sam something for me tomorrow morning?"

* * *

Finn falls back onto his bed, staring up at his ceiling.

He hears a knock at his door.

"Go away," he shouts.

Kurt enters, looking sheepish. "So… uh. How did it go?"

"Awful," Finn moans, turning over onto his stomach. "She ran out _crying_."

"Did you say any of things we practiced yesterday?" Kurt asks. "The stuff about how she's the only one for you?"

"_Yes_," Finn moans. "But she just… Her face… She _hates _me, Kurt. I tried to fix things, and I just messed everything up more. I should just give up."

"Look," Kurt says, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Do you love her, Finn?"

Finn lifts his head to glare at him. "You know I do."

"Then… don't give up. Not yet."

"It's what's best for her, Kurt. It's what she wants."

"No, it's not," Kurt insists. "Believe me, what she wants is _you_. She's just scared."

Finn scoffs. "Of what?"

"Of you. Of the way you make her feel. You broke her heart. She has some battle wounds. She's afraid of getting hurt. When she'd talk about her admirer, Finn, I could tell… she was conflicted. She still loves you, but she was falling for this version of you, this man of mystery, as well. She probably got scared when she saw it was you because she wouldn't have to choose anymore."

"That… doesn't make sense," Finn tells Kurt.

Kurt sighs. "I wouldn't expect you to understand. It's in the language of girls, which I speak fluently."

Finn groans in response.

"Look, just don't give up on Rachel yet, Finn. She'll come around."

"You don't know that," Finn says into his pillow.

"Oh, yes, I do," Kurt says, but before Finn can ask how, he leaves the room, muttering about making a phone call.

Finn decides to go back to moping, squeezing his eyes shut.

This plan started out so promising, but, of course, it has ended in disaster.

* * *

Surprisingly, Puck's mom invites Quinn to stay for dinner, (she invites her in a pained sort of voice, but at least it's a start) and Quinn accepts, so she's helping out by setting the table. Her eyebrows are scrunched together in that adorable expression she gets when she's concentrating, her blonde hair falling down to shadow her face. She pushes it behind her hair. She catches him watching her, and she grins, setting out the plates. Her eyes are sparkling. The last time he saw her eyes sparkling like that was when she held Beth.

His heart beats so loudly he's sure she can hear it. "Hey, if you're okay with it, I think I'm going to make that phone call now," he tells her.

She freezes for a second.

"We're ready," he reiterates. "We can do it, Quinn. Besides, don't you just want the chance to see her?"

Quinn nods. "Yes. Yeah, of course. But… it's not going to be easy."

Puck leans over to kiss her on the forehead. "No, it won't," he agrees. "But it'll be a start. And that's the best we can hope for."

She nods, then goes back into the kitchen to retrieve the silverware.

Puck takes out his cell phone and goes through his phonebook until he finds the name he's looking for. He takes a deep breath and then selects it, holding the phone up to his ear. He hears the ringing on the other end. He swallows.

"_Hello?" _A woman's voice answers.

"Shelby?"

"_Yes. Uh, who is this?"_

He clears his throat. "This is P – Noah. Noah Puckerman. Beth's…"

"_Yeah, yeah, of course," _Shelby says quickly. _"What can I do for you?"_

"Actually, I was wondering if maybe you'd be open for us – Quinn and me – to have a little visit with Beth."

* * *

"_We're terrified, 'cause we're heading straight for it, might get it.  
You've been the song playing on the background all along, but you're turning up now.  
And everyone is rising up to meet you, to greet you.  
Turn around, and you're walking toward me.  
__I'm breaking down and you're breathing slowly.  
You say the word, and I will be your man, your man.  
Say when,  
And my own two hands will comfort you tonight, tonight."  
_(x)  
"Say When" ; The Fray

* * *

**Well, there's one for sure chapter left, with (possibly) an epilogue. So this is coming to a close. :(**

**Okay so,  
SPOILERS FOR SILLY LOVE SONGS  
I hatehatehate this Quinn/Finn thing. Haaaate it. Finn is being such a hypocrite. It's... dumb. I feel like it wasn't in character for him at all. At least there were a few cute Finn/Rachel moments. Mainly the fireworks one. Plus, I may not like Sam/Quinn, but I still like Sam, and he doesn't deserve that.  
Also: Puck's whole storyline? I just can't buy it. -shrug- It's better than the Quinn/Finn stuff, though.  
Santana and Brittany made the episode for me. For once, Santana put her need to cause drama to good use. ;D Passing on mono = GENIUS! And Brittany's lines were hilarious! XD  
AND THE SANTANA/SAM LOOK AT THE END OF THE EPISODE, AAAAAAHHHHH! I hope they get together, that way I may not cringe so much. ;) They have soooo much potential. (And I'm sure, since you read this story, you've figured out that I ship them. Just maybe. ;D)**

**Well, this is goodbye (for now). Don't forget to review/favorite/alert!**

**You guys are awesome. (:**


	8. made for each other

**This is the last chapter. I might write an epilogue, but I don't know.  
Thanks for all of you who stuck with it until the end! (:**

**Summary**: Valentine's Day is fast approaching. Plans are made, scores are settled, but at the end of the week, who will get their happy ending?  
**Pairings: **Finn/Rachel, Quinn/Puck, Quinn/Sam, Artie/Brittany, Santana/Sam, Santana/Puck, Tina/Mike, (slight) Tina/Artie, Kurt/Blaine

* * *

"_Before you met me, I was alright but things were kind of heavy.  
You proud me to life,  
Now every February,  
You'll be my valentine.  
Valentine."  
_(x)  
"Teenage Dream" ; Katy Perry

* * *

_chapter 8: made for each other_

_Monday, February 14, 2011_

Rachel gets a phone call at 12:07. (She'd like to say that she was sleeping, what with the next day being a school day and all, but the truth is, she's been up thinking about Finn.) She doesn't look at the caller ID but hits accept and holds the phone up to her ear. "I'm sorry, but I think you have the wrong number—"

"_Rachel, it's Kurt_."

Rachel sits straight up, her heart beating quickly. "Oh, hello, Kurt. May I ask why you're calling me at a little after midnight?"

"_You need to talk to Finn."_

"How did you know that Finn was—"

"_Rachel, he's my stepbrother. And who do you think talked him out of some of his more ridiculous ideas?"_

"He had more ideas?" Rachel asks, her voice small.

Kurt sighs. _"Of course he did. He had all these elaborate, romantic plans to woo you. This boy is madly in love with you. And now he's convinced you hate him."_

"But I don't hate him. I could never hate him. I… I love him, Kurt. I always have, and I always will."

She can practically _hear _Kurt's eyes rolling. _"Well, then, you should tell him that, Rachel. Because he obviously loves you, too. Tomorrow… well, today, I guess, is Valentine's Day, and you guess could _finally _get back on track_."

"Yeah," Rachel says. "Yeah, I'll talk to him. Thanks, Kurt."

"_Yeah, yeah, just hurry up and get back together so I don't have to hear either one of you whine."_

She smiles. "Good night."

After she hangs up, she still has trouble going to sleep, because she just wants the day to start. It's Valentine's Day, and, by the end, she's going to be back together with Finn.

Things just _have _to work out this time.

* * *

Brittany comes up to Sam at the beginning of glee, and stands there, staring at him for a few seconds.

"Um, hi," he says, rubbing the back of his neck. "Can… can I help you? With anything?"

She stretches out her hand and gives him a folded up piece of paper. "I'm supposed to give you this." He takes it. His name is written on it in blue pen, and it's definitely a girl's handwriting. He thinks he has a good idea of who it's from.

"Just promise you'll read it," Brittany insists.

Sam nods. "Yeah, sure."

"Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day." She reaches into her purse and pulls out a lump of store-bought Valentines, extracting one and handing it to him. SAMM is written on it under the "to" section, and Brittany signed her name under the "from." He opens it to reveal a pink unicorn, saying "Have a magical Valentine's Day!"

She's surveying him, so he forces a smile and says, "Wow! It's great!"

She trots away happily and starts distributing Valentines to the rest of the glee club.

Sam sits down and stares at the note from Santana (because who else could it be from?). He's debating on whether or not to read it when Mr. Schue walks in and tells everyone to settle down.

He pauses dramatically, then announces, "We raised nearly one thousand dollars in candy gram sales! Congratulations, guys!"

The group collectively whoops and claps for a good few minutes. "I promise, I will throw you guys a party at my place on Friday to celebrate, alright?"

There's a murmur of assent, and then Mr. Schue attempts to lead a group discussion on possible numbers to perform at Regionals that is quickly taken over by Rachel. No one, not even Santana, objects, because she's not being annoying about it, which is surprising. She actually _asks _them what they'd like to do, as well. (Sam suggests some Kanye. She makes a face, but says she'll take his option into consideration).

He doesn't forget about the note. It feels heavy in his pocket, but he decides not to read it until he's alone. He has _no _idea what it'll say. Maybe it says she was never into him in the first place.

Finally, the bell rings, and the students start to file out of the classroom. Sam _swears _Santana shoots him a sad look before she walks out the door, but it's over so fast, he's not even sure.

He sighs, taking the note out of his pocket.

"Sam?" Mr. Schue asks. "Is everything okay?"

Sam nods. "Yeah, totally. I just… I need to read this, like right now, and it might make me late for my next class. Do you think you can write me a pass?"

Mr. Schue nods. "Sure." He heads back to his office (presumably to write the pass), and Sam opens the note and begins to read.

_Dear Sam,_

_Don't assume this is going to be some romance shit worthy of a Nicholas Sparks novel. I've only seen the movies, and only because Brit insisted. Sorry._

_Damn. See how bad I am at this stuff? I meant to start out by saying, "I'm sorry," and look what came out instead. Fuck._

_Anyways, I'm sorry for what happened at Breadstix. I mean, it started off as me using you to get back at Puck, but then I was actually there, on the date, and… Why were you so nice to me? I mean, everyone knows I'm a bitch. And an easy lay. And… and you treated me like a person. Like a girl. Like a girl you were interested in. I started feeling bad right away, because you're so good, Sam. I didn't deserve that._

_You were the perfect gentleman, and you made me feel special. And I made you feel like crap. I understand if you hate me._

_I just wanted to tell you that I do have feelings for you, same. I started out "dating" you to get back at Puck, but it's become so much more than that. When I see you, my stomach does back flips, and I want to throw up because of how horrible I was to you. You don't deserve that, Sam._

_I'm not asking for your forgiveness. I don't deserve that. I'm just telling you that I'm sorry. And that I really did like you. I do, still. I hope you know how hard it is for me to say that. I like you that much._

_Happy Valentine's Day._

_Love,_

_Santana_

Sam looks up, sucking in a breath. Santana's sorry? She must be serious; he knows Santana doesn't apologize for anything. And she said she likes him. _Really _likes him. Does he like her back?

Their date was going really well, until it wasn't. He liked talking to her, and he suspects her attitude is just a front. A front she just let down to write him a letter. He smiles to himself. He thinks Santana Lopez might just deserve a second chance.

"Sam, here's your pass," Mr. Schue says, handing him a yellow slip of paper. "Is everything alright?"

Sam stands up, taking the slip of paper. "Everything's awesome, Mr. Schue," he says, heading towards the door. "See you tomorrow!"

He heads off to German, his thoughts filled with Santana Lopez. He'll have to find her at lunch.

* * *

Rachel takes a deep breath and follows Finn after glee. "Finn, wait!" she calls after him.

He stops and turns to look at her. She closes the distance between them. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure, Rach," he says quickly. He looks nervous. She wishes she hadn't already screwed up. She really wants to hug him.

"Over here," she says, tugging his arm and pulling him into an empty classroom. (It's Mrs. Weinstein's room, and Rachel knows for a fact that she's in the computer lab fourth period, so they shouldn't be interrupted.)

They stand there for a second, looking at each other.

"So…" Finn says.

"I'm sorry," Rachel breaks in. "I'm sorry for my behavior yesterday. It was rash and I was just _mad _and I wasn't thinking. I just… I was working so _hard _at getting over you, and when I finally thought I was moving on, I found out that I was moving on from you with, well…"

"Me," Finn finishes helpfully.

Rachel smiles at him. "Exactly."

"It's okay, Rach," he says. "I understand. You need some time, and instead of trying to make you want to be with me, I should be letting you go. I get it."

"_No!_" she nearly shouts. Finn raises his eyebrows in surprise. "I mean, it's just…" She bites her lip. "What you did was very romantic. And chivalrous. And it reminded me… it reminded me why I love you."

"Do you really think so?" Finn asks.

"Of course," she whispers. "It was everything I've ever wanted. And… and you remembered. I've always wanted epic romance, and you gave it to me." She takes a deep breath. "I don't want to move on, Finn. I just want you."

She doesn't know if she moves or if he does, but suddenly she's in his arms, and they're kissing, and it's urgent and sweet and _perfect_.

They break apart after what seems like days and Finn rests his forehead against Rachel's.

"Happy Valentine's Day," she whispers.

"I love you," he replies. "It took winning you back for me to realize just how much."

She smiles. "I love you, too."

* * *

Santana sits alone at the lunch table, picking at her salad. Brittany is sitting with Artie, Mike, and Tina, because apparently they're all best friends now. (To be fair, they did invite Santana to sit with them, but she declined because she didn't want to be some sort of fifth wheel.)

She forgot how much Valentine's Day _sucks_. It seems that everyone has someone: Puck and Quinn seem to be back together (at least, they were holding hands yesterday), Brittany and Artie (obviously); Tina and Mike (a given); even Finn and Rachel wandered into the cafeteria hand-in-hand.

And she's alone with her salad. Fucking perfect.

"Hey." She looks up and nearly spits out her lettuce.

"Oh, hey, Sam." _Act casual. You just might be in love with the guy. No big deal._

He gestures to the chair next to her. "Can I sit down?"

She nods. "Go ahead."

"I read your note," he tells her once he's situated.

She chokes on her water. "Y-you did?"

He nods. "It seemed… heartfelt."

"It was," she mutters. "But don't expect me to spout off all that stuff again. It was hard enough for me to write it down."

He smirks. "I know. But it made me think."

She sighs. "You probably think it was all some sort of act, right? Well, sadly, I _meant _all that stuff."

He looks amused. "I know," he tells her.

"Oh."

"I just thought maybe we should give things another go."

She tries not to look too eager, but it's really hard when her heart's thumping so loudly in her chest that it echoes in her ears. "You did?" she asks quietly.

He takes her hand and smiles at her lightly. "Yeah. I mean, I like you, and you like me. Right?"

She nods. "I really do," she admits.

He's grinning now. "Then we've got nothing to lose," he announces.

"What about your reputation?" she asks. "I mean… I'm probably not good for a positive image. People are going to assume things."

He shrugs. "Let them assume all they want. I like you, and screw all those other people. That's all that should matter."

She grins.

"Now, Santana Lopez." He takes both of her hands in his own and stares into her eyes. "I have something to ask you."

She laughs nervously. "You're not gonna… propose, are you?"

He rolls his eyes. "I'm cheesy, but I'm not that cheesy." He takes a deep breath, then continues. "Santana Lopez, will you be my Valentine?"

She laughs and leans over to hug him. He feels warm and _good_. "Yes," she whispers in his ear.

Maybe Valentine's Day doesn't suck after all.

* * *

"Happy Valentine's Day, Brit," Artie says, putting the package onto her lap.

"There's holes in the box," she notes. "Did the present escape?"

Artie laughs. "Nope. Just open it."

Brittany tears into the wrapping paper like a little kid on Christmas, and the gasp she lets out when she sees what's inside is _so _worth it. "_Norman!_" she squeals, addressing the rabbit she met at the mall. She looks up at Artie. "You got him for me?"

He smiles at her. "Of course, Brit. He needed a good home, and I knew you'd be the best at taking care of him."

Brittany beams and leans over to kiss him on the cheek.

"I love you." He doesn't mean to blurt it out, but suddenly it's out there, and there's a split second where he's worried about her reaction. What if she says she doesn't feel the same way?

She grins even wider. "Artie! I love you, too!"

She pretty much tackles him, and he hugs her until he can't breathe. _Literally_. "Brit," he chokes out. "Maybe… a little less… enthusiasm…"

"Sorry," she says quickly, breaking away. She's still smiling. "I'm just so _happy_. This is the best Valentine's Day _ever!_"

He laughs. "I completely agree."

He mentally thanks Tina, because he knows none of this would've turned out quite so well if it weren't for her. He remembers her final suggestion, giving him an idea.

"Hey, Brit. Do you wanna order some Chinese?"

* * *

"We're really doing this," Quinn says, taking a deep breath.

Puck nods. "Yep."

"In a few minutes, we'll be at Shelby's house, and we'll be meeting our daughter for the second time."

"Sounds about right," he agrees.

"How are you not freaking out about this?" she demands. "This could leave an impression on her entire _life_."

He tries not to roll his eyes; he knows how hard this is for her. Frankly, it's hard for him, too. "I doubt it, babe."

She takes in a deep breath. "Maybe you're right. But it will leave an impact on mine."

He glances over at her and takes her hand in his own. "Hey. It'll be fine. We'll see her, tell Shelby to let her know that we love her, and we'll get through this. Together."

"Together," she repeats. "Together."

He pulls into Shelby's driveway and glances over at her. She's smiling.

She passes him the teddy bear. It's pink with hearts on it, and on it's stomach, in cursive script, it reads: _To Beth. Mommy and Daddy will always love you._ Puck had to take a serious dip into his pool cleaning money for it, but it was worth it. Beth and Quinn will _always _be worth it.

"Ready?" he asks.

Quinn nods. "I think so."

Puck gets out of the car and Quinn follows suit. They walk up the sidewalk hand in hand, and, to Puck's surprise, Quinn's the one who rings the doorbell. They wait for nine seconds before the door opens.

Shelby stands there with a blonde-haired baby on her hip.

Puck's heart skips a beat. She looks just like Quinn. Except for the eyes.

"She has your eyes," Quinn whispers later, when they're sitting on Shelby's couch, Beth crawling around on the floor.

Beth looks up at them and smiles, her three teeth visible. "She's beautiful," Puck breathes.

Quinn rests her head on his shoulder. "She sure is."

"I love you," he tells her. He could never get tired of telling her.

She smiles up at him. "Happy Valentine's Day."

He kisses the top of her head. He couldn't think of a better way to spend his Valentine's Day than with the two girls he loves.

* * *

Finn's sitting on the couch in the living room of the Berry household (and Mr. and Mr. Berry act like it isn't weird at all that their daughter's ex-ex-boyfriend is not sitting on their furniture, which is awesome) watching _Sixteen Candles _with Rachel.

She couldn't believe he'd never seen it, so she convinced him to watch it with her. (Not like he needed much convincing).

Samantha Baker and Jake Ryan share their iconic kiss over the birthday cake in the final scene of the movie, then the credits start to roll. Rachel sighs and looks at Finn.

"You know," she says, "I used to wish that I'd have my _Sixteen Candles _moment. That the guy would notice me and he'd make the big gesture." She smiles at him shyly. "I don't have to wish anymore. You already made all my dreams come true."

Finn swallows, reaching into his pocket. "Here," he tells her, giving her the box. "I bought it for you for Christmas, but… you know. I just figured Valentine's Day was as good as ever. Better, even."

Her eyes light up and she surveys the package. "Well, that explains the Christmas wrapping paper." She giggles. He realizes how much he missed that sound.

"Just open it," he prods.

She opens it carefully, and when she sees what's inside, her eyes fill with tears. "Oh, Finn. It's beautiful."

She holds the necklace up. It's a little star.

"Read what's on the back," he tells her.

She complies. "_You'll always be my star_." Her eyes fill with tears. "Help me put it on?"

He connects the clasp, turning her back around to face him. "I'm glad I have you back," he tells her.

She squeezes his hand. "Me, too. Now, what movie do you wanna watch next? You get to pick, since I picked _Sixteen Candles_."

He kissed the top of her head. "What about _Moulin Rouge_?" he suggests. He knows it's one of her favorites.

She laughs. "You know I'll cry."

"I'll wipe away your tears," he promises.

She gets up to go get the movie, and he thanks Grilled Cheesus that he and Rachel found their way back to each other. He doesn't know what he'd do without her, honestly. And he doesn't want to find out.

He thinks back to a week ago, when he decided to get Rachel back. He's glad she might him fight. She made him realize they were worth it. And now, their reunion is so much sweeter.

"Ready?" she asks, returning to the couch.

He smiles. "Always."

She leans into him as the movie starts to play.

* * *

"_And maybe, we were made, we were made for each other.  
Is it possible for the world to look this way forever?"  
_(x)  
"MFEO: Made for Each Other" ; Jack's Mannequin

* * *

**So that was a cheesy overload, I know. XD But, it's the end. I thought it would be fitting to end it on Valentine's Day.  
Thank you guys soooo much! It's been a fun ride. (:**


	9. epilogue: right here beside me

**Here it is, the epilogue to Momentum. Thank you to all of you who have left reviews, the 25 of you who have this story on your favorites list, and the 68 (WHOA!) of you who have this story on alert. THANK YOU SO MUCH. This story would not be successful without you, truly. (:**

**Also, I'm planning on doing a sequel to this story, if you're interested. It'll take place a couple of months later. **

**And now, for the final installment of Momentum.**

* * *

"_Juliet, take me somewhere we can be alone  
I'll be waiting; all that's left to do is run.  
You'll be the princess, I'll be the prince and  
It's a love story  
Baby, just say yes."  
_(x)  
"Love Story" ; Forever the Sickest Kids (Taylor Swift cover)

* * *

_epilogue: right here beside me_

_February 18, 2011_

"I never thought I'd be a mom," Brittany whispers.

Artie chuckles. "He does kind of grow on you."

Brittany grins. "Do you want to hold him now?"

"Sure," Artie says, holding out his arms. Brittany passes the rabbit to him. He runs his fingers through the soft fur on its back. "It's so soft," he notes.

Brittany beams. "I know! It's even softer than Kurt's baby skin hands."

Artie doesn't ask; he knows better than that.

"This was the best week of my life," Brittany tells him, her eyes wide.

Artie blushes. "Brit, it was nothing."

"You're the best boyfriend ever," she tells him, leaning over to kiss him lightly.

He smiles as she pulls away.

"Can you watch Norman for a minute?" she asks, her face serious. "I need to go get ready for Mr. Schue's party."

Artie nods, stroking the rabbit. "Of course."

"You'll be fine?" she asks, standing up.

"Yes," Artie says firmly.

"You'll yell if you need anything?"

"Brittany, _go_," Artie insists. "Norman and I will be fine."

She still looks worried, but she leaves the room.

"Looks like it's just me and you," Artie says, looking down at the rabbit. Norman stares back at him. "She's crazy, but I love her," he says. Artie knows it's strange, but the way Norman looks at him makes him feel like he's saying he loves Brittany too. He's glad the rabbit understands.

* * *

Quinn never thought she'd be the sentimental type, really. But that was before she reconciled with Puck, and before she established a relationship with her daughter. (She may not be even a year old yet, but Quinn plans on staying in Beth's life, if Shelby will let her). She looks at the picture, taken Monday night when she and Puck became reacquainted with their daughter. Shelby offered to take it (which was totally cool of her), and Quinn has Beth in her arms. Beth's looking up at her, her eyes wide, and Puck has his arm around her, the biggest grin on his face as he looks down at their daughter. And Quinn, she's looking at the camera, smiling the biggest smile she's ever worn in her life, because this? This is the happiest moment of her life.

She grins again at the memory, picking up the frame her mom helped her pick out. It's simple, silver and cool to her touch. She slides in the picture, setting the frame down on her dresser.

"It's beautiful."

She turns around to see Puck, standing in her doorway. He leans against the doorframe and gives her a smirk. "Who'd have thought we'd have family moments worth framing?"

She laughs.

"You ready to go?" he asks.

"The party doesn't start for a half hour," she points out. "I thought you _hated _being early to parties."

He shrugs. "I do," he says, "but unless you think of something better we can do…"

She grins, walking over and kissing him soundly, wrapping her arms around his neck. She pulls away after a few seconds, and he raises his eyebrows.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

She laughs. "Let's head over to Mr. Schue's."

"Are you serious?"

She smirks.

"Fine," he grumbles, extracting himself from her embrace and taking her hand instead. "But can we fool around afterwards?"

"If you're a good boy," she tells him serenely.

He smiles. "I'll be the best boy _ever_."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Puckerman."

* * *

Santana has this foreign feeling in her stomach. If she didn't know any better, she'd think it was nerves. But Santana doesn't get nervous. … Right?

She surveys her reflection in the mirror, smoothing her hair with her fingertips. Okay, maybe she's a _little _nervous. She knows she shouldn't care about what anyone thinks – not that she _does_ – but it's her and Sam's first date, really. Sure, it's to some lame glee party at Mr. Schuester's, but it still counts. (She doesn't even want to think about their real first date – the one that ended in total disaster).

The doorbell rings, and she takes a deep breath. She can do this. It's just _Sam_. Her stomach flip-flops at the thought of him and his mop of blonde hair.

"Santana!" Her father's voice floats up the stairs. She figures she better go save Sam now.

She sees him before he sees her, and she takes in a deep breath. He looks a little nervous as he makes small talk with her father, and Santana realizes with a jolt that no boy has even _met _her father before, let alone made small talk with him. She tries to hide her grin.

Sam looks up and sees her on the stairs. He smiles.

She rolls her eyes and she finishes descending the staircase.

"Have a nice chat, Dad?" she asks.

Her father smiles, his mouth still closed, but his eyes shining. "He seems like a perfectly nice boy, Santana. And he promised me he'd have you back at a perfectly _reasonable_ hour." He gives her _the look_, and she knows he's recalling all the times she's come in at two in the morning after a particularly wild party.

"Dad, it's a stupid _glee_ party," she sighs. "We'll probably be back by nine. Mr. Schue probably needs to crash around then." She turns to Sam. "Can we go now, please?"

Sam smiles wider, taking her hand in his own. "Sure, San." He turns back to her father. "I promise I'll take good care of her, Mr. Lopez."

Santana rolls her eyes. "Okay, yeah, _definitely _leaving now." She hauls Sam out the front door and slams it shut before her father can even say 'goodbye.'

"Your father seems nice," Sam offers, helping Santana into his car.

She scoffs. "He's an expert at making first impressions; don't let him fool you."

She ignores the fact that he's still grinning. "You know, he said you'd never brought a boy home before," he remarks lightly.

Santana tries not to die of embarrassment. "Yeah, well… It's _you_."

Sam raises his eyebrows. "Meaning?"

"You're going to make me say it?"

Sam doesn't respond. She takes that as a yes.

"You're just… you're not _like _other guys, okay?"

He laughs and takes her hand. She knows that she shouldn't like the way her fingers fit with his as much as she does, but honestly? She doesn't care so much.

"That's good," he tells her. "You're not like other girls either, you know."

"What, I'm not blonde?" she grumbles.

"You're not afraid to be yourself," he says. "And I can't wait to get to know you, everything about you. I can't say I've wanted that before. And I want you to know about me, too."

She feels tears stinging her eyes, and she wipes at them. She _won't _cry, no matter how cute Sam's being.

"I still have walls up," she tells him hesitantly. "I'll try to let them down, but once I do… I mean, I'm not used to being vulnerable." She takes a deep breath. "I want you to know me, Sam. I'll try my best to let you."

He gives her hand a squeeze and sends her a soft smile. "That's all I'm asking."

* * *

"Having a good time, guys?" Mr. Schue asks, grinning at Finn and Rachel eagerly.

Rachel glances at Finn briefly before answering. "It's _great_, Mr. Schue," she says. "Really."

"Awesome," Finn chimes in.

Mr. Schue grins. "You guys should visit the snack table. I just put out the popcorn. And Rachel, those cookies you made are _phenomenal_."

Rachel beams.

"Also, I'm gonna bring out the karaoke machine in a bit. Think you guys'll wanna sing a song or two?"

"Definitely," Finn assures him. "I mean, no way Rachel would pass that up." He winks at her. "Right, Rach?"

Rachel sticks her tongue out at him.

Mr. Schue leaves then, presumably to see how the other glee kids are enjoying the party.

"Wanna check out the snack table?" Finn asks, grabbing Rachel's hand.

She laughs. "Sometimes, I think you think with your stomach, Finn Hudson."

He shrugs. "I'm just glad you brought your cookies." He pauses, then adds, "I missed them, when we weren't together."

"Is that the only thing you missed?" she asks teasingly, bumping him lightly.

"Well, that and your banana bread," he adds, mock seriously.

"Well, I guess you won't mind if I go ask Mike if he'd like to duet with me then," Rachel says, letting go of Finn's hand and starting to walk over to where Mike and Tina were chatting across the room.

She giggles as Finn's arms wrap around her from behind and he leans down to whisper in her ear, "I missed you more than anything." He kisses her cheek.

"I missed you, too," she whispers, turning around to kiss him full on the mouth. The kiss has just evolved from a peck to a deeper kiss when someone clears their throat loudly.

Rachel sighs and pulls away. "Yes, Noah?"

Puck grins, and Quinn mouths 'sorry' behind him. Rachel notices their entwined hands and she smiles a little bit.

"Can't you and Hudson keep it together for one night?" Puck asks.

Finn wraps his arm around Rachel's waist. "Finchel is back and better than ever," he tells him.

"And mushier than ever," Puck mutters.

"Just part of the upgrades," Rachel replies, looking up at Finn. She seriously can't stop smiling. It might just be becoming a permanent etching on her face.

"You wanna see something cute?" Puck asks.

"No, I don't wanna see you and Quinn sucking face," Finn replies.

Puck rolls his eyes. "Number one, that makes you a total _hypocrite_, Hudson, after what you and Berry were just doing, and number two, that's not it at all, jackass." He turns to Quinn. "Have the picture on you, babe?"

Quinn smiles and nods, reaching into her purse. "Here," she says, offering the picture to Rachel.

Rachel gasps, looking up from the picture from Puck to Quinn. "Is this… Beth?"

Quinn nods.

"She's adorable," Rachel breathes, passing the picture to Finn.

"'Course she is," Puck says. "I mean, she's half _me_." Quinn rolls her eyes, and he adds, "Plus half of this gorgeous girl."

Quinn laughs lightly. "Save it, Puckerman."

"She's really cute," Finn offers, handing the picture back to Quinn.

She gives him a light smile. "Thanks, Finn."

Silence falls in their little circle, and it's a little awkward. Thankfully, Mr. Schue saves the day.

"Who's up for some karaoke?"

Finn looks at Rachel. "You game?"

She grins. "Of course!" She turns to Puck. "You know, you and Quinn haven't done a duet publically before. You should. I bet your voices would mash _perfectly_."

"I love how you just said we've never done a duet _publically_, which implies that you think we might duet _privately_."

Rachel rolls her eyes at Puck's comment. "Are you in or out, Puckerman? Or are you just scared that you won't be able to amount to the pure talent that lies in the combination of mine and Finn's vocals?"

Puck glares at her, taking Quinn's hand once more. "Quinn, come on. We've got to pick out our song."

Rachel claps her hands. "I love karaoke!"

"I love _you_," Finn replies.

"I'm going to barf," Puck offers. "Now should we make this a proper showdown? I'm sure there's some ABBA song we could do, like all four of us or something."

Rachel looks at Quinn and they both start laughing.

"Dude, you listen to ABBA?" Finn asks.

"_No_," Puck says defiantly. "My little sister just likes _Mamma Mia_, okay?"

Finn shakes his head. "Whatever, bro. Rachel and I are still gonna kick your guys' asses."

Puck scoffs. "In your dreams, Hudson."

"It's really great that you and Finn are back together," Quinn says softly as the boys walk away, heading over to the song book Mr. Schue has provided.

"Well, now that you and Noah have sorted things out, it seems like everything's finally in its rightful place," Rachel replies. She surveys the party: Mike, Artie, Brittany, Tina, and Mercedes are sitting in the living room, sipping their sodas and laughing; Lauren is busy at the snack table; Sam and Santana are sharing a chair and Santana is actually _giggling_; Puck and Finn are bickering while perusing the song book. Everything seems perfect.

"We've got a song!" Finn cries out gleefully, pumping his fists into the air.

He turns around to look at Rachel and Quinn. "Are you guys coming or what?"

Quinn looks at Rachel and shrugs.

They walk across the room to meet the boys, and Rachel hopes that Quinn knows she won't be going easy on her. She and Finn are back and better than ever, and she's playing to win.

Quinn laughs and something stupid Puck says, and they share a quick look. Rachel knows Quinn's playing to win, too.

She glad to know that, despite what has happened in the past week alone, some things never change.

* * *

"_I can finally see,  
That you're right here beside me  
I am not my own  
For I have been made new  
__Please don't let me go.  
I desperately need you."  
_(x)  
"Meteor Shower" ; Owl City

* * *

**Once again, thank you so much for reading! And I always love reading your reviews. (:**

**I realize this was a complete fluff overload, and I'm not the best fluff writer. Hahahah. I just had to tack this on, though. I hope to see you at the sequel.**

**PS. The sequel will be called Absolute. So be on the lookout for it. (:**


End file.
